Girl Hates Love
by thatsphat
Summary: Misty's earned the title of Water Pokemon Mistress, has a ton of fans, and her popularity couldn't be higher. But Gary's ALWAYS bothering her. And when Ash suddenly comes back into her life, what's a girl to do? Misty&Gary Misty
1. Girl Saves Boy

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 1**

**Girl Saves Boy**

The thick smoke spread rapidly and made Ash cough violently.

"Ugh... Not again! Pikachu!" Ash yelled out, reaching for a pokeball on his belt.

"Piika pii!"

His hands hovered on his belt for a moment before he realized that he did not bring any pokemon besides Pikachu with him.

"Crap, I forgot! Everyone's at Professor Oak's lab!"

"That's right, twerp," said a familiar pink haired villainess. "You see, this time we _planned _our capture scheme. Not only do we have awesome smoke bombs and an electricity-proof cage, we _also _targeted you when you only brought Pikachu."

"Pretty genius of us, don't you agree?" asked James from behind Jessie.

"Grr... You know you won't get away with this! How many times do you have to lose to accept that?"

But Ash was actually nervous when he said this. Pikachu had been battling less than three hours ago and was in no condition for another battle. The trainer himself was also tired. They were in no mood for a Team Rocket run-in. Besides, Ash was trapped in a hole full of smoke with no pokemon, and his buddy Pikachu was stuck in an uncomfortable cage that looked like a bottle.

Ash began to feel sick. The smoke was filling his lungs rapidly, and he could do nothing because he had run out of breath long before.

_Damn this smoke... Shit. I'm gonna black out soon. I gotta do something fast!_

"Hahahaha! Admit it you little rascal! We got you this time," teased Jessie.

"Got you real good," James replied.

"Oh, will ya two shut it? Just get Pikachu outta here so we can get the promotion!" Meowth had been waiting in the hot air balloon while his partners had been mouthing off at the young trainer all this time.

"Oh, come on Meowth," said James. "A little victory dance won't hurt! This _is _our first time beating the twerp. And our plan was absolutely brilliant! Fool-proof!"

"Fine, fine. I guess one litttle dance won't AHHHHH!!!"

"Meowth, what's the matter with you? Don't ruin the festive mood!" yelled a surprised Jessie.

"Staryu, Water Gun!"

A blast of water hit Meowth directly in the face and sent him flying towards Team Rocket.

Ash looked up.

_That voice... I know that voice. Am I dreaming? Last time I saw her, she was still at the gym._

The smoke was beginning to clear, and Ash could see what was happening above the hole if he stepped back enough. He saw a slim figure wearing a ... beach towel? Even though it was hard to see, he could tell it was a girl. The figure also had a towel loosely draped on her head, and drops of water dripped down her long orange hair as if she had just come out of the shower.

"Ah, the other twerp! How long has it been since we saw you? I thought you and the twerp in the hole had a lovers' quarrel and broke up! Pity you're back."

The look on Misty's face was that of a cranky lioness rudely woken from her slumber. Her intense teal eyes looked ready to emit heat vision. For a brief moment she looked like she was about to run straight at Jessie and kill her, but she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Oh, shut up, you old hag. I don't have time to deal with your gossip. Just give back Pikachu before I Hydro Pump your fat ass out of here."

"_OLD HAG? _Why, I'm gonna kill you!"

"Ooh, touchy, touchy!" said an amused James holding Jessie back. "I guess your temper hasn't changed? But it's quite rude to speak to your elders like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry, _Sir_," scoffed the girl. "I was just a little bit annoyed when _something _disturbed the Gyarados I was sitting on and caused me to fall into the water. Should I also add that I was fishing at the time with my _new_ lure, and that I had _the _cutest water pokemon on hook when that hideously loud blast caused me to fall?"

All three members of Team Rocket blinked.

"You must understand, _sir_. The cute thing swam away with my best lure, which by the way I spent _days_ to make, and I was left sore and soaking wet in a lake with my Gyarados madly trampling about. I guess, the best way to put it is that I'm . . . _FREAKING MAD!_"

"Woh. Looks like she's really gone psycho, Jess. Lets get out of here since we have Pikachu already," whispered James nervously.

"Excuse me?! We will NOT leave without teaching that little squeaky-voiced twerp a lesson! She called me an old hag! _I _am a young, blooming flower. An idol! The quintessence of beauty!"

Misty took another deep breath in attempt to calm down.

"Where is he?" she asked as politely as she could attempt to be in her current mood.

"Where's who?" taunted Jessie.

"Ash! I know he's around here. That's his pikachu!" Misty searched the battle ground for Ash. She gasped as her eyes reached the hole in the ground. Thick, black smoke was pouring out of it.

"NO! Is Ash in there? Ash! ASH!" she screamed frantically.

_Misty. It is her. I thought I'd never see her again. Hah. Same old Misty. Same old fiesty girl. I missed you._

"Calm down, dear. And I was talking when you interrupted me!" Jessie said.

"I was being patient," replied Misty, her head bowed down. "I was thinking of letting you guys off easy. But now, I don't think I have a drop of mercy left in me."

"Oh, boo hoo. I'm real scared. Oh Meowth, help me, please!" mocked Jessie.

Misty tightly clenched her fists and told herself to calm down.

_Don't lash out. For Ash's sake. Just finish it fast and cleanly. You're good at that._

With a slow exhale, she lifted her head and smiled.

"Come on out cutie! Time for some action!"

_Thump._

_Thump._

". . . James, is that what I think it is?"

"Sadly, Jessie, I think so . . ." His palms were getting sweaty.

"Uh, oh," was all Meowth could say.

Misty was all smiles as she greeted her pokemon friend.

"There you are, Dragonite!"

"RUN!" yelled all three Rockets at once.

"Hyper Beam, Dragonite," the young trainer ordered serenely.

Dragonite opened his strong jaws and blasted a bright yellow-orange beam straight at his target.

_BOOM!_

"Team Rocket, blasting off again!"

Misty almost fell. "Even their motto's the same."

Suddenly, a ball of yellow fur was obscuring Misty's vision.

"PIKACHU! You alright? You're as cute as ever! I missed you so much- wait! We have to get Ash out!"

She ran to the still smoking hole with Pikachu in her arms and ordered Dragonite to clear out the smoke with his massive wings. As the smoke dissipated, she could see an unconscious figure leaned against the wall of the deep pit. Misty gasped. Pikachu immediately jumped in to go to his master's side and budged him to wake up.

"Dragonite, can you get him out for me?"


	2. Boy Notices Girl

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

My continuation. If you think it's alright, or could use some changes, feel free to tell me in a review form. I might continue or not depending on the feedback.

**Chapter 2**

**Boy Notices Girl**

"Unhh . . ." Ash moaned as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Ash? How are you feeling?" came a female voice.

It took his eyes a while to adjust, but when they did, Ash bolted up from the bed and his head almost collided with another head.

"Misty! So it was you!" Ash yelled out, unable to contain his happiness.

It had been almost three years since they had last seen each other, and what could he say? He missed her a lot.

Misty smiled back, equally excited to see her friend again.

"Ash, I'm so happy to see you! Oh, are you okay? You were out for four hours. A lot of smoke back there . . ." She suddenly blushed. "I'm so sorry I didn't get you out sooner. I was so mad that I almost forgot about you!"

"Haha, yeah, I heard. You were fishing when that big blast made you fall in the water, and you lost _the _cutest pokemon AND your brand new lure. Under those circumstances, I actually felt sorry for Team Rocket."

"Yeah. I wonder if they're alright. They took a pretty direct hit. I was so mad."

She stared out the window with a genuinely concerned expression. Ash studied how her mouth pouted and her eye brows creased together ever so slightly in her worried state. Then he stared into her eyes. They were such a deep teal-green. He suddenly remembered a time three years ago when his mother had commented about how pretty Misty's eyes were. He didn't realize back then, but her eyes really were beautiful. And her lips. Her lips looked so soft and moist to Ash.

_Is she wearing lip gloss?_

Ash gulped when he saw Misty lick her lips. She was still deep in thought and didn't notice, so Ash dared himself to observe her some more. His eyes landed on her hair this time. Still the same bright orange, except a lot longer. Her locks framed her face nicely and ended a few inches below her shoulders. Ash hadn't noticed before, but Misty's hair was slightly wavy and seemed to shine beautifully without any sunlight.

_Did I just think that Misty's hair shined beautifully? _

She tilted her head as she finally noticed Ash's intense stare. Her hair cascaded down her cheeks, so Ash tucked it behind her ear.

This time, Misty stared.

Ash stared back, but blushed as he realized what he had done.

_Holy CRAP! Why did I do that?! What possessed me just now? AHH!!_

"Um, do you want something to drink?" asked Misty to break the now very awkward silence.

"Y-yes," he stuttered, his voice cracking.

Misty got up from the chair she was sitting on and walked to get the drinks.

Ash couldn't help but stare away once more at her retreating figure. She seemed to have gotten taller. Not just taller... Curvier.

_Curvier?! _Ash almost gagged himself to death.

_Nice legs. She always had nice legs. Wait, she did?! _

Misty called out from the kitchen. "Ash, what do you want? There's orange juice, milk, and water. Hmm, sorry. That's not much of a selection, is it?" She paused and grinned to herself. "Or do you want beer?"

"What?! You drink beer?"

"Haha. Relax. It's my sisters who drink."

"Oh, okay. Personally, I've tried beer and don't see what's so good about it."

Misty was now back with two glasses of orange juice.

"Well, I guess sometimes it just feels right. When you just want to get away from everything and forget all the... stuff. And you feel dead, but just can't seem to cheer up without a little bit of help."

"Misty, are you-"

"Well, that's what my sisters say," she replied, almost too quickly. "So how are you? Won any gym badges lately? Trophy, new pokemon, anything? Come on, tell me everything."

The onslaught of questions made Ash forget all about the previous subject.

"I'm great, thanks for asking. Well, I've completed the Battle Frontier, and got a certificate kind of thing for that. Hah, no trophies yet I guess. I took a short break and just started my new journey here in Sinnoh. That reminds me, what are you doing in Sinnoh? Last time I saw you, you were kicking ass at Cerulean. Did your sisters take over again?"

"Yeah, about that..." Misty started playing with her hair, seeming a bit embarassed for some reason. "Well, I sort of got, uh, fired? I don't know what else to call it."

"What?!" Ash yelled incredulously. "Can they even do that? Like, the gym leaders' committee or whatever? That's messed up! Why did they fire you? You were doing really well!"

Misty smiled. Ash was awfully cute when he was flustered. She realized that he really cared for her and had faith in her, just like she did in him.

"I guess it just wasn't for me," she replied with a sheepish grin.

"Misty, we're back!" came three female voices in perfect harmony.

"Ah, it's my sisters! They'll be really happy to see you again." With that, she took Ash's hand and dragged him out of her room and into the living room. Ash felt his body temperature sky-rocket at Misty's touch.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Is that who I think it is?" said a blonde girl in her twenties.

"How cute!" yelled a blue-haired girl next to her.

"Ash Ketchum, we totally saw you on TV not that long ago!" said the pink-haired girl standing next to the blue-haired one.

"Hey Daisy, Violet, Lily. Yep, it's me." He felt a little awkward standing there while the famous Waterflower Girls stared at him with those alluring eyes.

"Lookin' good babe," joked Lily with a wink.

"Haha, thanks," he said, ruffling the back of his hair in embarassment. He heard Misty giggle so he asked her what was so funny.

"It's just, you still do that," she said, pointing at him.

"Do what?"

"You used to always mess up your hair when you were embarassed, and I thought it was funny that you still do it."

Ash smiled. "Well, you do too."

"I mess up my hair?"

"No," he laughed. "When you're thinking or worried, you scrunch up you eye brows and pout."

"Ew, really? That's worse than you!"

"No! I think it's cute."

Misty froze and felt a blush creep up her cheeks. Daisy, Lily, and Violet, who were all curiously watching the conversation, screamed and said "oh my gosh" repeatedly like crazy girls.

"AWWWW Did you hear that? They know each other's nervous habits! He thinks she's cute! You guys are so CUTE! Misty, you _have_ to marry this guy! Imagine all the cute, happy moments you'll share!" said Daisy a bit too enthusiastically.

"I just love young, innocent love! I wish I could be like this!" cried Violet.

"Oh, please Violet. We all know you're interested in much more _intimate _stuff," replied Lily.

"You're _totally _right, I so take that back!"

While the three sisters were laughing and playfully slapping each other, Ash and Misty stood perfectly still, just facing each other in silence, both much too frozen to move or look away.

Ash was the one to speak first. "Uh, you- I, well anyways... You still haven't told me why you got fired from the gym."

"Oh, yeah," Misty replied, still a little flustered and embarassed.

"Oh my gosh, she didn't tell you?" asked Lily.

"Lily, don't!" yelled Misty. Her face felt flush.

"Oh, come on," said Violet. "Why are you always so embarassed about this? We're like _so _proud of you, but you think it's like a bad thing!"

"They're right Misty," said Daisy. "Your future was too bright for you to be stuck in the gym all your life. I mean, sometimes I even wonder why I didn't realize it before him."

"Well, it's obvious that _he_ enjoys watching Misty more than we do," said Violet like it was a matter of fact.

"Violet!" Misty was trying desperately to stop her sisters from embarassing her, which seemed to be happening a lot lately. But she never could win against all three of them when they were determined to tease her. They called it "love" and "adoration" but Misty called it "torture."

"No offense of course, Baby Sis," continued Violet, completely ignoring Misty's pleading face. "You know we adore you. But I mean, Gary, he's a whole different subject. I think he's totally into you, which is why I keep telling you to go for it! It's not every day that a hottie with that kind of reputation comes along giving you so much attention."

Ash felt himself burning up as the story progressed.

_Gary? Gary and Misty?! _He _likes _her?_ GO FOR IT?! Wait, wait, wait. Don't freak out. What's it to me if they... but GARY!_

He calmed his mind a bit and forced himself to speak, even though he felt the need to break something. "W-what exactly did Gary do?"

Daisy was the one to explain everything. "Well, bit of a long, complicated story, but we've got time. He basically kept coming to the gym to watch Misty's battles, saying he had some research to do on water pokemon. He practically came every day. Then, one day, all of a sudden he started yelling at Misty, so we were all like what's his deal? He said stuff like Misty was stupid for staying in the gym facing the same mediocre starting trainers when she had so much potential as a trainer herself. Then he called the Gym Leaders' Committee saying he's got connections, and the next thing we know, Baby Sis is fired! It was actually really cute of him. We were mad at first, but they sent a letter explaining why they did it. Apparently, statistics like showed that Misty was beating too many trainers that they had to change their whole plans. 'Cause you know, usually beginner trainers start from the Pewter Gym, then on to Cerulean, and so on with the gym leaders getting stronger. But little Misty here was making battles so hard for the beginners that they had to change their route and skip Cerulean. And we were wondering why the gym was getting so empty. Misty was getting worried too. Since Violet, Lily, and I don't do our shows in Cerulean anymore and Misty's always out when there's nobody challenging her at the gym, our gym was pretty much dead. The Committee said it couldn't continue to like fund the gym unless this problem was solved, and Gary I guess like suggested firing Baby Sis. Now we have a distant relative running the gym while we do our show tours."

"Stupid Gary," Misty muttered.

"Oh, come on, Misty. Since you got fired, you've gotten even stronger, and aren't you having more fun?" asked Violet.

"Yeah, and you totally wouldn't have caught Lil' Cutie out there if you stayed in Cerulean. And do I even _have _to mention winning the Whirl Cup, Miss 'I'm a Water Pokemon Mistress'?"

"Okay, okay! So I had more fun and got stronger. I admit it!" Misty yelled out, exasperated.

Ash blinked in surprise. "Whirl Cup? You won it? Misty, that's amazing! Good job! I- I can't believe I never heard about it! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Um, thanks. Well, I can't believe it myself either. It's only been like 6 months since it happened. I guess I can't really brag about it when I'm still getting over the shock."

"Actually, that's partly why we're staying in Sinnoh in this lonely house," replied Lily. "Talk about fan boys! Fan mail for Misty combined with our fan mail is crazy enough. But they even came to our house to see us. And it all kind of escalated until we couldn't handle it after Baby Sis won the Whirl Cup. We're all taking a break from stalkers and papparazzi. I know we're beautiful, but come on. 'Take a picture. It'll last longer.' Now I like don't really like that saying."

"Tell me about it," replied Daisy, Violet, and even Misty all together in an exhausted tone.

"Oh, so that's why you're in Sinnoh. I guess I understand it might get annoying."

"That, and the fact that Gary invited Misty for a _research_ thing," teased Violet. "And of course, Baby Sis can't say no after all he's done for her. Our little girl is a softie after all. Aww."

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? He says I'm the perfect person for his new project, and I can't think of any other ways to thank him! What am I supposed to say? 'Oh, thank you Gary! Will you marry me?'"

Ash stiffened at those words. Even though she was being sarcastic, he felt like something was eating away at his guts. He was almost on the verge of screaming or doing something rash when someone came into the house.

"I'm flattered that you think of me this way," came an all too familiar, haughty voice. "But, don't you think it's a little early to be begging me to marry you?"

**END CHAPTER**

Ehh. Who saw that coming? Boy, it's confusing to write 5 people in one room in the same conversation. I hope everyone had equal talk time... but they didn't. haha. Did anyone even read any of this? I'm hoping for some feedback.


	3. Boy Gets Burned

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 3**

**Boy Gets Burned**

Gary, in all his glorious trademark arrogance, had strutted into the already crowded living room.

Misty blushed furiously.

"Hey, don't be too disappointed, babe. I never said no. I only said it was too early. I am a gentleman after all, so lets get to know each other first. _Then _we can hit the sack."

Now she was just furious.

" Gary, go screw your-"

"Well, hi there Gary! We missed you!" Daisy interrupted before her little sister could spit out a certain selection of quite unladylike words.

Misty glared at her sister, her mouth half-open and her hands wildy gesticulating, but to no avail. While Daisy was discussing matters with Gary in a polite manner, Lily and Violet just pinched Misty's cheeks and commented on how their little sister was so cute when she was mad.

"And I thought _Ash_ and Baby Sis were a cute couple. Just imagine her with Gary! HOW TOTALLY ADORABLE!" screamed a daydreaming Lily.

"Look at her. She's _totally_ blushing. A little girl's innocent love! Lily, isn't this like the cutest thing _ever_?"

"STOP! I'm so sick of you guys treating me like a little child! I'm sixteen already!" yelled a frustrated Misty while massaging her now sore cheeks.

Lily spoke with both hands covering her ears. "Okay, Misty! You don't like have to scream at us. We were just playing around. You know we love you!"

"Hmm, maybe you're right," said Violet thoughtfully while observing Misty. "I mean you _do _actually have boobs now. What are you, a B cup?"

"VIOLET!"

Misty's entire body was burning up now.

"Woops, that's my que! Gotta go for my individual photoshoot. Catch yall later! Oh, Ash and Gary, you should totally stay for dinner. Like what a party! I'm getting all excited just thinking about it! Bye!"

And with that, Violet was out of the house before her little sister could even grab her hair. A thick silence engulfed the living room as everyone was frozen in their spots.

Ash suddenly realized he was staring at Misty's chest area and quickly turned away, blushing. Even Gary had turned away from his conversation with Daisy to observe Misty. He seemed to stare at her body without an ounce of embarassment, which made Misty even angrier.

"Violet's right for sure," said Gary, his eyes still lingering on her. "_That _is certainly not the body of a child."

Misty stomped over to Gary and glared daggers at him for a short moment. Then, she inhaled deeply and seemed to calm down a little. She turned around and took a step forward, but stopped suddenly. She turned around and faced Gary once more.

Gary stared back, not at all aware that Misty had murderous thoughts floating around in her head.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?"

And with that, she stomped into her room and slammed the door shut.

"And that's why Baby Sis will _always_ be Baby Sis," replied Lily after three consecutive blinks.

Daisy sighed and added sarcastically, "Way to finish it maturely, Misty."

"I think there's a child stuck in a hot girl's body," Gary commented.

Ash snorted. "As smooth as ever eh, Gary?" he said with a laugh.

"Hey, Ashy-boy! When did you get here?"

"I was here before you."

"Oh," he replied while subconsciously running a hand through his spiked up hair. "Hah, I guess I didn't notice you 'cause I was so distracted by the lovely Waterflower Girls."

Daisy and Lily giggled.

Gary gave them a wink and continued talking to Ash. "Sorry, man."

"It's alright. So, how's the research going? Are you ready to make a big name for yourself like Professor Oak?"

"Actually, my current research isn't really going as planned," he replied while determinedly staring at the door to Misty's room. "It's been a bit ... difficult gathering data."

"That sucks. Well, if you need any help-"

"No, no. I'm not _that_ rusty. Just gotta turn up the charm a bit more and she's in the bag... Gary Oak losing his touch? Nah, no way. Gotta admit she's a fiesty one though..." Gary muttered to himself.

"... Wait, _what?_" Ash asked in confusion, wondering what charm had to do with pokemon research.

"Oh, my bad. Obviously you and I were talking about two _completely_ different subjects. Don't worry man. I know exactly what to do."

"Um, if you say so. Well, I'm gonna go check on Pikachu..." Ash replied, while looking at his old rival questionably. _What the hell is he smoking? _

Gary didn't even notice Ash walk away. His brain had just begun weaving an elaborate plan on how to successfully complete his "research," and he could not allow _anything_,or _anyone_ in this case to disturb it. He paced around the living room while organizing his plan, unknowingly saying his thoughts out loud.

"To truly complete a big project like this, you gotta manipulate the mind. Step 1: Get close and establish your presence. Step 2: Play it cool and act like you don't care. Step 3: Let her come to _you_. When your target's right in front of you, go in for the kill... Oh, jeese Gary Oak. You really are brilliant."

"Yeah, okay Oak... I knew you were conceited, but I really didn't expect you to actually call yourself brilliant. Are you sure you don't need to check into an asylum?"

Gary jerked to a stop and turned around stiffly.

"MISTY! Y-you scared me there. I didn't know- Um. So, j-just how long were you standing there?"

"Are you _stuttering_?" Misty asked, an eyebrow raised in genuine amusement. "What is this world coming to?"

It only took a moment for Gary to snap out and regain his composure.

"Well, you know how beauty can make a guy lose his cool. For you babe, I'd stutter all day."

Misty looked at him for a while, head tilted slightly and biting her lower lip.

These were Gary's thoughts at that exact moment:

_Oh, yeah. That was a good one. She's totally digging you. You the Man, Gary. Get ready for some action. I knew I still had it in me. Piece of cake! _

Misty finally spoke out.

"That's sweet and all," she said with a mischievous smile. "But I'd prefer if you just didn't show up at all, rather than _stuttering _at me all day."

Gary could feel his eye twitching.

_Did she actually say that?_

"You're not still mad at me... Are you?"

She blatantly ignored his question and continued.

"I'm really curious though," she said with a finger tapping on her chin. "How exactly do you come up with these pick-up lines? Do they just come to you when you're getting stoned with your pot buddies?"

He blinked.

_Did she just say "pot buddies"? Okay, she's definitely still mad at me._

He opened his mouth.

_Pot buddies._

He closed his mouth.

"That's alright," Misty reassured with a playful tap on his shoulder. "You can tell me later. You know, when your head clears up a bit. Wait... On second thought, you don't have to tell me. I think I'm going to hang out with someone whose IQ is above that of a rock. Now, where _is _that psyduck?"

He stared with his mouth open as his "target" skipped away.

_Did I just get compared to psyduck? To _her _psyduck?_

He walked over to the nearest couch and collapsed face-down into it.

"I' need a Plan B."

**End of Chapter 3**

I tried to make Misty a sassy girl. I know Gary has quite a mouth also, but let's just say he's met his match. Any suggestions or requests? Such as... I dono. Characters you want to see? Who you want Misty to end up with, predictions, and most importantly, any corrections I need to make? I'll try to incorporate your feedback so keep em coming! And thanks for the few that reviewed. Every review is like finding 100 bucks on the ground. lol.


	4. Girl Falls In

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

Before I begin, let me clarify a little bit. Sammi-san (who hasn't reviewed in ages so i feel all honored to get one haha) assumed Ash had hit puberty, and that is correct.

The ages from oldest to youngest

Daisy- 24

Violet- 22

Lily- 21

Gary- 16

Misty- 16 (1 month younger than Gary)

Ash- 16 (2 months younger than Misty)

Wow isn't that specific? I know Ash is younger than Misty in the show but it somehow always bother me to see that. And since this is my story, I was liike yeah baby i get to make them all the same age! mmhm i actually don't know if Violet's older than Lily, but in most pictures i've seen with all three lined up, the order was Daisy, Violet, then Lily. So since I know Daisy's oldest, I'm assuming Violet's next. Correct me if I'm wrong.

As for if Misty even has feelings for Gary, you'll find out someday. lol. and for more Ash/Misty dialogue and Ash's feelings, it's in this chapter! (kind of). The reviews were really good. They helped me think ahead a bit more instead of just writing for the present. And that is always a good thing.

**Chapter 4**

**Girl Falls In**

"Oh, psyduck, where are you?" She couldn't believe that she was actually looking for psyduck. She had told Gary that just to insult him, but she realized too soon that she really had nothing to do besides arguing with Gary Oak.

_I can't believe I fight with him every single day we meet. Which _is_ pretty much every single day... He's basically part of my schedule. Fits right between happiness and ... anger. Why do I run into him so often? How annoying. _He's _annoying. Next time he annoys me I'm gonna-  
_

_Whoa there. Hold on a sec. Remember what the book said. "Do not let your emotions swallow you whole. One must be in control of his own feelings to be completely in sync with his pokemon." _

_That's all I read... _

_Tracey will be disappointed. _

_Well, it's not _entirely_ my fault that the book became illegible! _

Misty remembered exactly what happened.

**Four Months Ago...**

"Misty, I got you a present!"

She had gotten out of the pool and wrapped a striped beach towel around herself by the time her friend reached her.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands," said Tracey enthusiastically.

"Why?" she questioned suspiciously.

"Oh come on, Misty. Just do it!"

"Fine. This better be good though!" She replied, half-smiling, her eyes closed and hands in front of her.

"Here you go," he said, while dropping a huge rectangular mass into Misty's hands.

She almost collapsed from the weight of the so-called present.

_Great, _she thought while staring at the 894-page, red hardcover book that was causing her hands to turn red. Tracey stared at her expectantly.

"The Pursuit of Inner Tranquility: A Guide to Improving Mental Connection with Your Pokemon By Following Ten Easy, Effective Steps of Peace-Inspiring Meditation Techniques." Misty paused for a breath. "That's a long title."

"You forgot the last part," he pointed out with a smirk.

"Complete with over fifty gorgeous, fully-colored illustrations by the critically acclaimed artist Tracey Sketchit," she added with a giggle.

"That's better."

"If by 'better,' you mean adding a very cliche and insanely biased heading to an already outrageously long title, then yeah. It's pretty much amazing," she finished with a playful grin.

"And since that is_ precisely _my definition of 'better,'" he retorted, "I agree. It's brilliant."

Misty rolled her eyes, but her lips were still smiling.

"And just why are you giving this _holy_ manuscript filled with timeless wisdoms to a person like me?"

"Oh, you know. Since you're going so far away and I won't be able to visit you as often."

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Misty said, moved by her friend's thoughtfulness.

"Um, hold that thought until _after _I finish," he said a little nervously. "I was saying... Well, since I won't be around to control your somewhat _quick _temper after you move to Sinnoh, you should learn to control it yourself, so as to avoid any, uh, accidents." He said the last part so fast that a normal human being would not have been able to decipher it, but Misty was no normal human being.

"..."

Tracey gulped.

_Silence. That ain't good._

"Accidents?" Misty asked calmly. "You mean like what's going to happen to your head after I pull out every follicle of hair in it?!" And with that, Misty tackled him into the pool and began ripping him apart.

"Misty, stop- STOP! AHH! IT HURTS!"

"MISTY!"

She froze when she realized it was a female voice, and not the whining screams of Tracey.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Like, no making out in the pool!" said a grinning Violet.

"Yeah, I know you think it's okay 'cause you see Violet doing it all the time, but that's just her being bad influence!" Lily added with a teasing laugh.

The two sisters were giggling so intensely that Tracey thought they might blow up any moment.

"WE WEREN'T MAKING OUT IN THE POOL!"

"Misty! Did I just hear right?" This time it was the eldest sister Daisy, who had made her entrance. "I know you're like practically grown up and more mature than Violet and Lily _combined_, but I think it's a little too early to be so... passionately involved with someone."

"Come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing Daisy make out in the pool."

"Of course I didn't!"

"Of course she didn't, Violet. Don't be silly! Why would she use the pool when she had the whole-"

Daisy's hand went flying to her younger sister's mouth, firmly muffling all her words as she struggled to keep her calm. "_As_ I was saying-"

"Daisy, you're suffocating her!" Violet yelled while tugging at her older sister's hand. Lily's face was now the same shade of blue as Violet's hair.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Anyways, Misty-"

"We weren't doing anything!" Misty replied exhaustedly.

Tracey blinked. Although he had been exposed to it many times, he was still amazed by the lightning-speed dialogue and dramatic movements involved in the average conversation between the four sisters. What was more amazing was that now _he _had to be a part of the conversation.

"She's right," he said in support. "I just fell in, and she was trying to save me."

"Oh, okay then. You two have fun!" Violet yelled out while dragging a semi-conscious Lily behind her.

"But not too much fun!" Daisy added with a giggle, and all three sisters were finally gone.

"_That's it_? They question _me, _their own sister, like I'm some kind of serial killer, and then they just listen to you like _that_?"

"Well, at least now you know what I meant by 'accidents.'"

Misty moaned. "You're right, Tracey. I need to stop going berserk at the tiniest matters! It even affects my battles! Thanks for the book. I'll cherish it."

She gave him a tight hug and swam out of the pool. Tracey blushed but followed her out.

She threw him a towel and got another one for herself.

"Ah!" she suddenly screamed.

"What's wrong?" Tracey immediately questioned, concern etched on his face.

"It's soaked!" Misty said with an apologetic face. She was holding the book in front of her, which was dripping inky, black water.

She laughed as she remembered Tracey's devastated face.

_Hehe. I wonder what he's doing right now._

_Ah! I got so off-track thinking about that incident. Anyways, the point is that I really need to control my temper. It actually does help me during battles. Especially when I have to use psyduck._

_Psyduck..._

Misty realized that she had walked off in no particular direction while she was reminiscing about the book. However, she immediately knew that she was in the backyard when she almost stepped right into the pool.

Fortunately, she had stopped just in time. _Un_fortunately, a yellow blob had bombarded her face while she was just regaining her balance.

"Misty!"

An arm quickly wrapped around her waist but it was too late. Pikachu had obscured her vision and made her top-heavy, causing her to fall in along with the person who had grabbed her.

_Splash_

"Misty, you okay?" said a compassionate voice.

"Ash, this is the second time you've made me fall in water. Do you have something against me?" She said while moving her wet hair out of her face.

"Hey, it was all Pikachu's fault if you think about it! He was the one Team Rocket wanted, and he was the one that jumped on you just now!"

"Well, I guess it can't be helped that Pikachu likes me more than you!" She gave out a mischievous laugh and splashed Ash on the face.

"That's not true! There's _nobody _Pikachu likes more than me. Right buddy?" He asked with much confidence.

He almost collapsed when he realized that his so-called best buddy was too busy saying hi to Misty to even listen to a single word he had just said.

Misty smiled. "I win."

Ash smiled back. He liked it when she smiled, perhaps because it always made him do the same. Or maybe it was just the way her lips became slightly crooked and made her even cuter than usual. He wasn't sure.

Thinking back on his travels with her, he couldn't help but acknowledge that she had always affected him like the weather. When she was happy, he was happy. When she was mad, he was too. When she was scared, even though he didn't want to admit it, he was also scared. Everything she felt always transferred to him, and vice versa. It still did.

Ash wondered how it all came to this. They were inseparable three years ago, always bickering about nothing but still supporting each other no matter what. After they said their goodbyes and walked down different paths, they both did fine. Actually, Misty was doing much better than fine. And just yesterday, he thought he was too. But seeing her again after all this time seemed to have triggered something in him. He had thought he was a happy guy before, but with Misty, he was floating on cloud nine. He had fancied himself invincible before, but with her, he _knew _he was. As cliche as it sounded, the girl had always been a part of him, so much so that he didn't even realize what had happened when she left. When she came back, or rather when he came back, she let him know that he had been walking around with a big hole in himself. Or maybe he let himself know. Either way, he knew he couldn't go on any longer like that. Not when he finally knew what he needed.

The hole had existed solely to be filled.

"Misty, where were you all this time?"

She stopped playing around and looked at him gravely.

"Where was... _I?_"

**End of Chapter 4**

I did the last part over and over until I got sick of trying to do something and just left it as is. This chapter really didn't have much except the flashback, but the next chapter will have actuall real time action. yay.


	5. Girl Down

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Recap**

"Misty, where were you all this time?"

She stopped playing around and looked at him gravely.

"Where was... I?"

**Chapter 5**

**Girl Down**

She felt cold all of a sudden. She needed to get out. She turned around and started swimming towards the edge. The question echoed over and over in her head.

_Where were you all this time? _

_Where were you?_

_Where was I . . ._

"Misty?" Ash called out, but she did not hear him.

They were both out of the pool now, soaked from head to toe. Misty turned around to face Ash, cool water dripping from her now messy hair and clothes. She didn't bother to move the hair out of her face. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists, her nails slightly digging into her palms.

"I was traveling," she managed to say.

"Well, you know the story. I was at the gym until I got fired, and then I traveled. And now I'm here."

She tried really hard to keep her voice even.

"I missed you," was Ash's reply.

Misty lowered her head and let out what seemed to be a laugh.

"I thought I was fine, but I don't want to have to, you know . . . I don't want you to leave again."

She felt dizzy. She couldn't seem to focus her eyes.

"Ugh," she groaned while rubbing her forehead. "I'm getting mad again."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but I'm too damn tired to stop myself from getting angry this time. So I'm just going to say what's on my mind, and you're going to-"

She cringed. Her head was really throbbing, and she was burning hot and shivering at the same time.

"Are you okay?"

"Don't. Don't say that. Don't be so. . . Don't be so nice to me. You're making me feel guilty. I haven't done anything. I didn't _leave _you. I didn't hurt you. You were just fine with it, and you still are. You have other friends. You have May. You don't- you don't _need _me! I don't need you!"

"Misty..." He looked hurt, but she didn't care. She was too delirious to stop. Each word seemed to drain her anger bit by bit, so she kept talking.

"We're all just fine. Can't you just leave it at that? Why do you have to appear out of nowhere all of a sudden and make me feel like this? You left me, okay?"

Misty realized she was panting. For some reason, each breath was painfully labored.

"I didn't-" But Misty gave him no time.

"_Don't_ say I left, 'cause I didn't have a choice, and you know it. It's always like that. I'm the one being left behind, but I'm the one that always has to feel guilty. Well, I'm sick of it. This time, I'll leave, and you'll feel-"

She stumbled backwards. Ash stepped forward, ready to catch her, but she steadied herself once more.

"Whatever. I can't think right now. My head's about to explode"

She took slow backward steps without losing eye contact. Her vision blurred with each step. She wanted Ash to hold her because she honestly had no strength left. She knew she would collapse any moment, but her stubborn will made her keep walking away.

"Ow! You stepped on my foot!"

Misty turned around to see who was yelling at her.

Gary.

She put her bowed head against Gary's chest, which surprised him. He felt his shirt getting wet, but didn't want to move.

"Hey, you okay?" He had never seen Misty like this. He saw Ash standing nearby, just staring at the girl blankly.

"What's wrong with her?" He repeated his question to Ash, but got no answer.

"Misty, are you sick? Want me to get your sisters? Shit, are you crying? Ash . . . I swear, if you made her cry, I'm going to kill you.

Ash ignored him again.

"I'm sorry Misty. I didn't know you felt that way. I'm so stupid."

Misty was silently crying into Gary's shirt. She was in so much pain, she thought her head would split in half.

"No, I am," she whispered into Gary's chest.

"Huh?" Gary asked in confusion. The weight against his body suddenly became heavy. "Hey, you still there?"

There was no answer.

"What is it?" Ash asked, running up to Gary to take a look.

Misty's face was dotted with sweat and tear drops, and her breathing came shallow and rapidly.

Ash didn't need a second look. He ran to the nearest phone and called 9-1-1, then yelled for Daisy, who was the only sister still at home.

She came running downstairs with a hairbrush still in her hand.

"What's wrong, Ash? Did one of Misty's stalkers get in?"

"She's sick, and I don't know what to do."

"Hey, calm down. Who's sick? Misty?"

"Yeah. She's out there. I called 9-1-1."

Daisy ran past him to get to Misty, who was now being carried in by Gary.

"No . . . " She whispered with a hand over her mouth.

A few minutes later, the ambulance came for Misty, and all three of them got in with her.

During the whole ride to the hospital, Daisy kept rocking back and forth with both hands on her face, muttering incoherently to herself. Only the words "no" and "not again" could be heard clearly. Neither of the boys knew what to do, so they just sat in silence, holding Misty's cold hands.

**End of Chapter 5**

Sorry for the super late update, but I was having so much fun over spring break that I didn't have time. Forgive me. I don't know about this chapter. It was... I don't know. I always make someone faint in my stories. It's like a weird obsession. Haha. But there must be something more to it... maybe you guys know.

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	6. Girl's Story

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 6**

**Girl's Story**

The hospital lobby was too bright and white. It looked squeaky clean, but Daisy felt like vomiting as she stared at the even tiled floor.

_It's probably full of germs. I just can't see them. _

The chairs were uncomfortable too. And the magazines on the table were boring magazines nobody would want to read. But then again, nobody felt comfortable in a hospital. She leaned back, and the chair squeaked with her movement.

_How annoying._

She stared up at the clock but didn't see anything. She looked back down at the floor.

A pair of feet stopped right in front of her, and she looked up to its owner's face. It was her dad.

His blond hair was disheveled, and his eyes were swollen and bloodshot. His face seemed to sag strangely, especially near the eyes and mouth. She thought he looked twice as old as he was.

"Dad, what's wrong with her?"

"Daisy..."

"No, I can take it. Just tell me. You can tell me."

"They don't know what it is."

". . ."

"What do you mean? How can they not know?"

"She's not... She doesn't look too good."

"But she'll be okay, right? She- she just needs surgery right? We can pay for it, I know we can. I ... I can get an advance from the modeling agency. I know it's not much but we still have enough money for surgery even without that. I know we do!"

"Don't tell your sisters. For now."

It was so unfair. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't some other poor soul be dying right now? Someone that didn't _matter_? And as those thoughts ran through her mind, she felt sick and angry at herself. She was utterly lost.

"When canI tell them?"

SIlence.

"When _can_ I tell them? When she _dies_?" Her voice shook violently.

"Daisy!"

The hospital was too big. The walls were too hard. Her voice, and then her dad's voice, echoed through the halls and made everyone else look in their direction. She backed up into the wall and let herself slide down to the floor. The squeaky clean floor that was actually infested with germs.

"Daisy, wake up!"

She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was whiteness. She had fallen asleep with her head on Misty's bed. She was still holding her baby sister's hand. She looked up to see Gary holding out a bag to her in his left hand.

"It's pastries," he said and handed her one.

Daisy looked at the snack in her hand. It was squirtle-shaped with cream filling in the shell, sealed in a plastic bag.

"Misty loves these..."

"Aw, don't cry on me now. She has the flu but the doc says it'll be alright. She's just weaker because of exhaustion or stress or something. Basically, she's gonna be just fine so don't you worry."

"R-really?" She looked up with such hope in her watery eyes.

"Really. And I'm not just saying that because I don't want another girl crying on me again."

Daisy smiled.

"Where's Ash?"

"He's on the phone with his mom. The idiot didn't call her since he almost got killed by Team Rocket. And now he's probably telling her about Misty."

"Oh. That's going to take a while," she said thoughtfully, remembering how motherly Ash's mom really was. Even to Misty.

"Yeah. Tell me about it. Oh, and I called Violet and Lily. They're coming right now but there's a traffic jam."

Daisy sighed and looked at Misty's sleeping form. Well, she couldn't call it sleeping. Her little sister's profile looked nervous and uncomfortable, as if something was chasing her in her dreams.

"She's lucky to have someone like you," she said while squeezing Misty's hand.

He was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Yeah, well I _am_ an Oak. Anybody's lucky to have me." He tried to look like he didn't care, but Daisy could see right through him.

She saw him looking at her little sister, how his eyes lingered a little too long to be a meaningless glance simply out of worry. She laughed.

"No wonder she hates you. Your ego's totally big enough to match her temper!"

Gary laughed back and ruffed up his hair.

"But really. Thank you for being there when we couldn't. Which was like way too many times. You don't know how much it really helps her to have people who care."

She paused and looked up at him as if to make sure he understood that she was being serious.

"I've been such a bad older sister. I couldn't do _anything _when he left. And then when she had finally like forgotten and was with her friends, I called her back to the gym. It's all my fault."

"It's our fault too," added Violet, who had just appeared by the door with Lily at her side.

Suddenly, the three sisters were in a big crying embrace, leaving Gary feeling awkward and sorry for no reason.

"Look at her!" wailed Lily. "Baby Sis is like in a bed, in a _hospital_! It's totally her way of telling us that we're not giving her enough attention! It's like psychology. It's so sad!"

Violet nodded at all her sister said and started overreacting with her. The two of them made it seem like Misty was in a coma, and even Daisy was getting a little sensitive.

"Okay, STOP!"

The three girls came to a halt and stared expectantly at Gary.

"You guys need to _calm down_. Like I said before, Misty's going to be fine. Stop overreacting!"

"Ahh..."

It was Misty. She seemed to be in pain. She was in a delusional state, muttering and twisting in her bed.

Her sisters crowded around her and were silently worried. Daisy touched her forehead and found it was burning hot.

"She doesn't look fine to me... She feels even hotter than before."

"What's going on?" said Ash, who had just come into the room after a _long _conversation with his mother on the phone, and then with the doctor.

"She has a fever," replied Gary.

"I talked to the doctor just now. He says she's bound to get worse before she gets better. He said she just has to wait it out."

Even though he said this to comfort the others, the sight of the girl in front of him scared him more than anything ever had. Her pained face and the cold sweat made him uneasy. He wanted desperately to be able to do something for her, but he couldn't. He was useless.

"Dad... don't... I'm sorry... sorry..." Misty's moans became louder and more pronounced. Her sisters became stiff.

"She's blaming herself for Dad," whispered Violet. "I never knew..."

"Me neither," Daisy agreed grimly.

"She shouldn't," replied Lily with an uneven tone. "It was all his fault. _He _did this to Baby Sis. I _hate_ that man."

Ash and Gary thought she was being a bit harsh when the man was her own father, but the other two sisters seemed to be in a tacit agreement with her.

It was Gary who plucked up the courage to ask them about their father.

"What ... exactly happened with your dad?"

"He left because he was a coward and didn't love us," said Lily coldly. Violet hugged her from behind as tears started running down her sister's cheeks.

Daisy sighed. "I guess we can tell you since you guys are close. You already heard Lily anyways. It was right after Misty's eighth birthday. Mom wasn't feeling well, and Misty thought it was because she spent too much strength preparing for her birthday party. She was blaming herself for Mom's fatigue. Then it just kept getting worse and worse. She started getting headaches, and then one day, she just fainted. Misty was at a friend's house, and Violet and Lily were still at school doing a project. I was the only one home, so I called Dad and we got her to the hospital. The doctor didn't know what was wrong with her. _How_ can he not know? I didn't get it. I _still_ don't get it!"

She had to pause to collect herself, but she bravely carried on.

"Mom was bedridden until she died. Baby Sis blamed herself again for her death. She was so little. She thought it was because of her birthday party. And we were all too depressed to say anything against that. We let her believe whatever she wanted. We were so stupid... After that, our whole family was just deranged. We tried our best to function normally, and we took care of Misty when she just couldn't stop crying. But Dad... Dad was changed forever. All he did was drink. He was in his own little depressed world, and he wouldn't even let us comfort him. He just said "you don't know what it's like!" And that- that hurt_ so much_.Weeks passed and we thought he was getting better. He stopped drinking and talked to us more. But he could never look at Misty. Out of the four of us, even though she was the youngest, she was the one that took after Mom the most. Dad used to laugh and say that she inherited Mom's feisty temper and her blue-green eyes that changed color depending on her mood. It was so sudden. He just _cried _when he looked at her. She didn't know why, so she just blamed herself more, and then he- he just left. He _abandoned _us. Misty was eight years old!"

"Parents shouldn't abandon their children no matter the age," replied Gary quietly.

"We haven't seen him since," said Daisy.

Violet continued.

"Every year, he sent us money with meaningless notes that said stuff like 'Love always,' and every year, we just threw it in the bank. We didn't need his money. We were fine on our own. The money was just a reminder of his existence, but we didn't know what else to do with it, so we just saved it. We're probably filthy rich now."

Her bitter laugh did not reach her eyes.

"Well," sighed Lily as she put a hand on Violet's shoulder. "The money flow finally stopped last year. I guess he either died or decided we were grown up enough to make our own cash. Doesn't really matter, does it?"

"It matters to Baby Sis," said Daisy. "It wasn't her fault. It was no one's fault, wasn't it?" And she was breaking down again. The sisters all sobbed quietly as their Baby Sis fought a losing battle with her nightmare.

That night, Gary, Ash, and the Waterflower Girls all took rounds staying by Misty's side. She stopped getting worse, but her temperature stayed consistently high, and her nightmares didn't seem to end.

Ash felt especially worried and guilty. He told everyone it was because of him that she got stressed and tired, but the sisters said he was speaking nonsense. He was on his second shift of taking care of Misty when he thought, 'this must be how she felt, except a million times worse.'

**End of Chapter 6**

This was a lot of the past/explanations. I'll try to make the next chapter more action-packed. Ok, maybe not _packed _but yeah. Thank you for being patient with my slow updates and enjoying my story. I'm beginning to feel the pressure with the Gary Vs Ash/ Ash Vs Gary thing. Which way to go? Ah the dilemma.


	7. Girl's Dreams

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 7**

**Girl's Dreams**

"Dad?"

He stood there, a little surprised to see her home so early.

"Misty... Uh, aren't you supposed to be at school right now? It's only 1:30."

"My teacher let me go early 'cause I wasn't feeling too good."

Actually, she had never gone to school in the first place. She had been sitting on the swing at the park playground since eight o' clock.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. You should have called me."

"I thought you'd be busy."

She looked down at the bags in his hands.

"Are you... going somewhere?"

"I- I just need to take care of some business. I'll be back."

He was avoiding her eyes again. She wanted to scream at him to look at her, but she knew he never would be able to. She was just a painful reminder of what happened.

Especially her eyes. The beautiful, mysterious eyes that everyone praised. The eyes that she had taken pride in, because they were her mom's. She hated those eyes now. Because nobody could bear to look at them now. Because every time she looked into them through the mirror, the tears wouldn't stop flowing.

"I baked your favorite cookies this morning," he said with a sad smile. "They're on the counter. I think I did a pretty good job considering my baby girl wasn't helping me out."

She let her eyes wander to the kitchen briefly, but stayed put. She was afraid that he would leave by the time she got to the kitchen.

She felt his warm hand on her forehead.

"You don't seem to have a fever... But you should still rest, Misty. Want me to tuck you in?"

"No, Dad. I feel okay now... Do you _have_ to leave?"

He crouched down to her height and tightly embraced her. She could hear his uneven breathing. Her tears were too heavy to blink back anymore.

"Don't go, Dad. I'll be a good girl. I'll never fight, or- or get angry, or... I'll help you with the gym! I'll clean my room every day. Just- just_ stay, please?_"

"Misty... I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm _so sorry_."

"Stop! Don't say sorry. You didn't do anything. Just _stay_, Dad!"

"I'm- I'll come back, Sweetie. I'll come back and make sure you're the happiest girl in the world. I'll come back with presents for all my cute daughters. I'll make sure _nobody _can tell you that you were deprived because you didn't have a mother. I just have to go away for a while so I can find what I need."

"But I don't _want _any of that! I want you to stay with me. That's _all_ I want... Why do you hate me?"

"I _don't _hate you! How could you say that? How could Daddy hate his baby girl? You're the most precious thing in my life, Misty. You and Violet and Daisy and Lily. You're my precious flowers. I _love _you. It's my fault that I have to go. I need to do this, Misty."

The look in his eyes were so desperate.

"If I don't, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life."

She couldn't say anything to that.

"You understand me, right?"

_No. I really don't understand._

She nodded.

"Good. You're so mature for your age. You probably don't need me to tuck you in anymore," he said with a laugh that sounded like a sigh.

_I do need you to tuck me in._

"Bye, Misty. I love you so much... Don't wait for me."

He hugged and kissed her, and she could smell chocolate chip cookies on him. She wanted to look at him one last time to memorize his face, because something in her childish mind told her that he would remember her if she remembered him, but tears muddled her vision.

She watched through blurry eyes as he wiped away her tears and then grabbed the door handle. She stood there with her whole body as she heard the door creak open... then

_SLAM_.

That stupid door always slammed. She hated it. The harsh sound made the blurriness become stinging clear.

Everything was so clear and real.

No room for excuses.

No room for hope.

She was floating on a small boat in the middle of the sea. The sky was so clean and blue, no clouds in sight.

"It was a dream..."

"What was?"

She flinched. She turned her head to see who was lying next to her.

It was Him. His jet black hair was messy from the sea breeze, and his eyes were slightly squinted as he looked at her through the sunlight. She liked the way his mouth tilted into a half-smile.

"Nothing," she said, feeling warm and happy, having forgotten all about the nightmare.

Ash laughed like a little boy who had just caught his first pokemon.

Misty laughed too.

_I wish this would last forever._

The laughter stopped.

Suddenly, everything was gone. The calm, open sea, the gentle wind, the sun, and the laughing.

She was lost in a gray fog.

"Well, I guess this is it."

She turned around.

"Ash? Ash!"

She could see his silhouette not too far away. The fog slowly dissolved to show his face.

"Bye, Misty."

"No, just stay!"

_"If I don't, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life." _

"Dad? No, don't leave!"

"Pikachu's gonna miss you," Ash said with a smirk.

_"Don't wait for me."_

"Bye, Misty."

"NO!"

"Ah!" She felt like someone had punched her in the head.

She found herself sitting up in a bed. Her head spun from sitting up so suddenly.

"Misty!" Ash was sitting right next to her, looking at her with concerned eyes.

She looked at him, listening to her own loud, labored breathing.

She pulled him into her with what little strength she had left and relaxed only when she felt his arms wrap around her too.

"You're shaking," he said quietly.

"Just stay," she replied, pulling his body even closer to her.

He didn't have any objections. He would hold her forever if she asked him to.

Gary watched from the doorway, waiting for them to break apart.

They didn't.

He thought about bashing the tray of soup and tea in his hands into Ash's back. It seemed to be mocking him. And the sight of the slender arms wrapped around it made him _insane_.

He dropped everything, and the sound of shattering glass rang harshly in the small hospital room. He walked away from the room in no particular direction.

Anywhere but where she was.

"What was that?" he heard Ash say.

"Don't. Stay with me," replied Misty.

He wished he hadn't heard that. Those words stabbed at his heart even more than what he had just seen.

**End of Chapter 7**

Any thoughts? Please review then. Thank you. My update might come sooner this time. I hope so.


	8. Boy Beats Boys

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 8**

**Boy Beats Boys**

Misty's fever was diminishing slowly but surely. By her third day in the hospital, the nightmares went away, and she could stay awake long enough to eat.

She was glad too, because shifting in and out of consciousness was not the most enjoyable experience. She didn't get any training done either.

_What a waste of time._

And that's all she decided to think of it. It was so much easier to focus on how during those two days, she had not trained at all or even seen any of her pokemon, that those two days were simply horrible. That way she did not have to remember exactly what her nightmares were about, and worse, what happened after she woke up from them. She recalled hugging Ash, but couldn't decide if it was reality or just another figment of her dreams. In the end, her constant headaches persuaded her to just not think about it at all.

Since Ash had to register for a tournament and her sisters had to go back to work, she was all alone in her hospital room. Which was perfectly fine to her. Nobody wanted to leave originally, but she insisted and ultimately threatened them to leave. Misty had wanted to thank Gary for taking care of her as she had thanked everyone else, but he was nowhere to be seen. She guessed he had to go back to his research also.

After staring blankly at the room door, she realized she had not taken a shower since the first time she fainted.

She decided she was feeling well enough to walk, so she got out of the bed and stood up.

She had to pause for a moment to stop the whole room from spinning.

_Hm. This feels like a hangover. Except more... bad. _

She let out a laugh at how stupid that sounded in her head.

Misty somehow reached the wall and let it support her on her way to the bathroom.

_Wait... Is there even a shower in this hospital bathroom?_

She opened the door and the lights turned on automatically.

A sink, toilet, and a small shower with rails for support. Just what she needed.

She turned on the faucet and waited for the water to warm up. Her hospital garbs came off easily, and as she vaguely stared at her naked self, she realized she had lost a bit of weight.

_Whatever. _

She got into the shower and welcomed the hot water.

_Showers are very relaxing. _

She must have spent a good twenty minutes in there before she even thought of coming out. She wrapped a big, white towel around herself and got out, smiling because she felt refreshed.

"Hm?" Misty froze as she heard something from outside. She listened carefully as voices became audible.

"Is it this one?"

"Yeah, I saw her sisters coming out of it."

"I can't believe we're going to see Misty! Did you bring the camera?"

"Of course I did. We just need a couple of decent shots... Then we can sell it-"

"Wait! Why would we want to sell the pictures? It's for the fan club isn't it?"

"Yeah, but can you imagine how much money we'll get if we sell them to the media?"

"Not really... They're just photos, aren't they?"

"You idiot! You should know as a Misty fan that she never allows photos of her to be taken, with the exception of battles of course."

"Hm. I never understood that. Why doesn't she like photos?"

_I guess it is weird that I don't totally _love _when weird guys follow me with cameras... _

_I didn't become a master for this kind of crazy fame! _

"The door's open."

"Should we just go in?"

"Yeah! We might get some good shots by catching her off guard!"

_Like I'm gonna let _that_ happen. _

"Aw, man! She's not in here!"

"Shut up! Whisper, okay? The bathroom. Do you smell that? It's Herbal Essence."

"Herbal... what?"

"Shampoo, you dumbass!"

"So?"

"She was taking a shower!"

"Oh!"

_Whoa. The guy knows it's Herbal Essence? That's a little creepy. _

_Oh crap. _

_What to do, What to do... _

_I don't think I can run. Or even walk for long. Only thing I can do is wait it out. _

_In the bathroom. _

_Obviously my brain sucks right now. I think I'm going to faint again._

"The door's locked."

"Hi Misty! It's me! Can you please come out?"

Misty sighed. She recognized the voice. It was Jerry, the guy who stalked her for three months before Tracy got him arrested.

"Jerry, come on. You're not allowed to be within 20 feet of me. Remember what the judge said? Please, I don't want you to get in trouble again."

"We just want a couple of pictures," replied Jerry.

"Who's we?"

"Me and Kyle. He's a fan too!"

"Um, I really appreciate your... appreciation, but-"

"I love you Misty!"

_Oh wow._

"Umm... Jerry. Listen, I'm really not feeling well, so can you guys come by later?"

"Come on, just let us in! We won't hurt you. We're your biggest fans!"

"Uh... Kyle, right? I'm serious. I feel like I'm going to faint, so I would _really_ appreciate it if you guys just left for now. I'm sorry."

"Don't lie! You just don't want to let us in because you think you're too good for us! If you won't open the door, then I'll break it open!"

Kyle reached into his pocket to take out a pokeball when someone grabbed his arm.

"You don't want to do that."

"Let go of me! Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Misty's boyfriend, and I suggest that you leave before I kill you both."

"Gary?" Misty was sufficiently confused now.

"Hey, baby. Sorry I'm late. The old man needed help at his lab. You know how picky he gets."

_What- Baby?_

"Wait, you're Gary Oak!" said Kyle.

"Yeah," he replied, still holding his arm. "I guess I really _am_ that popular."

"You wish. Don't you remember? You ruined my life!"

"Hm, I don't recall," he replied carelessly.

"You humiliated me at Indigo Plateau, you arrogant son of a - UGH!"

Kyle was on the floor now, his lip swollen from Gary's fist crashing into it.

"Now that I think about it, you're the kid that tried to cheat by stealing my pokemon. It was only fair that you got disqualified."

"Why you!"

Kyle got off the floor and threw a wild punch at Gary's face, but Gary grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the floor once more.

"My arm! I think it's broken!"

"Get out before I break the other one."

Kyle was up and running out of the room in a second.

"And don't let me see you talking to my girlfriend ever again!"

Gary smiled as he heard Misty's giggle from the bathroom.

"Hey, what are you still doing in here?" Gary said while cracking his knuckles.

Jerry was still standing in front of the bathroom, looking as stiff as a stick.

"Jerry," Misty said patiently. "I really think you should leave before he hurts you."

"O-okay." Jerry quickly walked out of the room, his face flushed in fear.

Gary walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.

"You okay in there?"

"Yeah," Misty replied, opening the door in order to thank to her rescuer.

Gary blushed when he saw that she was only wearing a towel, her wet amber locks clinging to her shoulders.

"Gary?" She asked as he seemed to be frozen. Then she realized he was staring at her.

"Oh!" She gasped in realization, immediately shutting herself in the bathroom again. She backed up against the door and blinked.

_I can't believe I just did that! I was practically naked. Oh my... My brain must be dying or something._

Meanwhile, Gary stood outside with his back leaning against the other side of the bathroom door, contemplating what he just saw.

"Nice," he said to himself quietly, unable to erase the cocky grin that was now taking over his face.

**End of Chapter 8**

This was a kind of pointless filler chapter. Not that my other chapters really have a deep meaning to them... Sorry for the really really late update. I have nothing to say. Thank you for your patience and reviews!


	9. Girl's Escape

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 9**

**Girl's Escape**

Misty and Gary were now sitting at a small plastic table in the hospital room. After what happened earlier, Misty was feeling a bit tired as well as very embarrassed.

"I need to leave," she said all of a sudden.

"Huh?"

"I can't stay in here. They're gonna come back. With more people..."

"I'll take 'em all on," Gary replied with confidence. "Just chill."

"No, you don't understand. There's like _thousands _of them. And knowing Jerry, he's probably told everyone he knows that you and I are-"

"Lovers," he finished with a grin.

"Sure... No, I'm serious. I know I owe you a lotfor like everything that's happened recently, but unlike you, I _really_ can't handle the whole media business."

"Well... Let's go, then!" he grabbed her arm and led her to the door, only to find his way blocked by a nurse.

"Hi. I'm just going to take my girlfriend home. You see, she's sorely missed by her family and friends."

"I'm sorry sir, but Ms. Waterflower cannot leave until she is discharged by her doctor."

Gary suddenly realized that the nurse was about 6 inches taller than him and three times as wide as him. Her features seemed to be permanently frozen into one angry expression.

Misty however, didn't seem to be fazed at all by the nurse's formidable appearance. But that might have been because she was still sick and also desperate to escape her crazy fans and the media.

"But I feel fine!" Misty stated with a bit of impatience. "Fantastic, actually. I really think I'm ready to go home. No, I _know_ I'm ready to go home."

The nurse suddenly slapped her thick calloused hand on Misty's forehead.

"I'm afraid the fever's really gone to your head, dear." She suddenly burst into laughter. "Ohohoho, get it? Fever gone to your _head_? Oh, silly me!"

Gary began to laugh with her because she looked like she might kill him if he didn't.

"I suggest you take a rest. You still have a bit of a temperature, dear."

"No! Please, I _need _to go home!"

"Ms. Waterflower, I'm very sorry, but as I have said, you need the doctor's permission. It is our policy, and there are no exceptions to that."

Gary could see that Misty was already beginning to lose her temper.

_She really needs to start thinking of her opponent before she starts a fight. _

Misty raised her fist threateningly at the nurse.

_Is she crazy?! What are you doing, Misty? That's it. I'm not going to just stand around while she gets both of us killed!_

"Well you can tell the doctor he can kiss my-"

"Oh my lovely nurse! Your brilliant smile would make anyone want to stay _forever_ at this hospital..." Gary took the nurse's hands in his own and spoke as poetically as possible while looking at her horrific face.

Misty blinked. _He's finally lost his mind..._

"But please... This poor girl hasn't seen her pokemon for _days_! She can't go on like this! I can tell by your beautiful eyes that you are a kind, gentle soul. How about you let her off just this once and I buy you lunch to express my gratitude?" He finished off with a wink that would make any girl faint.

_She totally bought it._

"Excuse me! Why I never saw anyone so inconsiderate! Asking another woman out on a date right in front of your sick girlfriend! You sir, are a terrible, _terrible_ young man!"

_Huh? It didn't work?_

"And where do you think _you're _going, missy?"

The nurse had spotted Misty trying to sneak out behind her.

"_Shit_."

"I heard that! That is not the kind of language that a young lady with a pretty face like you should be using!"

With those words, the nurse lifted Misty off the floor, slung her over her manly shoulder, and deposited her onto the hospital bed with ease. The poor girl was back in her bed, eyes wide and too shocked to move.

The monstrous nurse proceeded in picking up a terrified Gary, and put him down on a chair next to the bed.

"Now you listen to me. You too lad."

Misty and Gary both gulped and were dead quiet.

"You will _not _be leaving this room until your doctor, that is Doctor Bingley, discharges you."

"But-"

"No buts! And _you_," she said with a finger pointing at Gary. "You will stay here with your girlfriend and make sure she has everything she needs. You will not leave the room until she is fully recovered, as in you will stay here until the doctor comes and says she can go. And if I catch you flirting with any of the other nurses..."

"That will never happen, ma'am," replied Gary quickly.

"Oh, but don't feel too bad young lad," the nurse said with a wink that made the whole left side of her face look like a gigantic wrinkle. "I might have been tempted had you been just forty years older!"

"Haha... Good one," he said quietly.

"You're lucky to have such a pretty girlfriend," she whispered and slapped him on the back.

"AH!" Gary cried out in pain.

"I'll be checking on you both in an hour. Don't let me see you doing any of that monkey business!" She was in a laughing fit once more. "Ohohoho, to be young and in love! Goodbye, children!"

And with that, the nurse was gone.

Misty turned her head slowly to look at Gary. He was leaning over slightly in his chair, his face pale as if he had seen a ghost.

"She picked us up..."

"... yeah ..."

"Are you okay? She slapped you _really_ hard."

"I'm ... I'll be alright in a moment ... "

Misty couldn't help but laugh when she saw his teary eyes.

"It's _not _funny."

"What were you thinking trying to flirt your way out of that situation?"

"I was thinkingof taking care of it in a civilized manner before you got both of us killed!"

"Me? What did I do?"

"You were going to try to punch her out or something!"

"I was not! And please, you just made it worse! You can't seduce _everybody, _Gary Oak!"

"You can't _beat up _everybody, carrot-head!"

"I HAVE A MALLET!"

". . ."

Gary snorted, trying desperately to hold back his laughter. Misty heard him snort and burst into laughter. Pretty soon, they were both laughing as if the whole argument had never happened.

"Oh, no." Misty stopped laughing and looked out the window with worried eyes.

Gary followed her gaze and saw six men with cameras lurking around the hospital entrance. They seemed to be arguing with... the nurse? Gary was happy to see that she wasn't letting them in.

"Paparazzi... Jerry's there too."

"And that asshole I beat up."

"I need to get out of here. I don't care if that nurse woman kills me. I am not going to end up on the cover of some trashy gossip magazine!"

"Calm down," he reassured her while taking something out of his backpack. "Just- just put this on."

"Are these your clothes?"

"I always keep a spare set of clothes since I tend to be out for days when I do research."

Misty held up a nice light blue button-down shirt and a pair of khaki pants.

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

She ran to the bathroom and proceeded to complain as she changed into Gary's clothes.

"Of course, none of my sisters care enough to bring me a change of clothes! These pants are too big. So is the shirt! Gary, I'm going to look even more suspicious like this!"

Gary sighed while pacing in front of the bathroom door.

"It's just so the nurses don't notice you. We can go out through the back to my car."

Misty came sulking out of the bathroom.

Gary froze at the sight of her in his clothes. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to accommodate Misty's shorter arms, and she was holding up the pants because they were too big. He surprisingly found her very attractive. There was something very personal and satisfactory about seeing her in his clothes. It made him feel like she was a part of him, that she really was his girlfriend.

_And she looks cute._

"I look ridiculous," she said with a pout.

"Yeah, you do," he said, and laughed when she punched his arm.

"Okay, put on this hat, and we're all set to ditch this hell-hole."

As she was too busy adjusting her sleeves again, Gary put the hat on for her.

_Is it freaky that seeing her in my clothes is such a turn-on? Ah, screw it. She looks cute._

"This day is _really_ not working out for us," Misty complained.

"Really? I'm enjoying every moment of this," he replied while looking her up and down.

"Is this some kind of weird fetish of yours? To have girls dress like guys?"

"Only if it's you," he replied in a flirtatious tone.

"Freak."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get out of here before the real freaks show up."

Ash was surprised when he found the hospital entrance crowded with photographers and a bunch of screaming people, mostly guys.

_Whoa, what's going on here?_

He heard the camera guys arguing with a big woman in a nurse uniform.

"I repeat: You may NOT enter the hospital with a bunch of cameras to disturb a patient!"

"Come on lady! Give us a break! We'll just take one picture and leave. You don't know how much money this girl's worth!"

"Absolutely not. I will not tolerate this!"

Deciding that the nurse probably wouldn't let him through either, Ash changed his destination to the more discrete backdoor of the hospital. It meant that he would have to take a lot more stairs, but he didn't mind. Plus, he was on a mission. He had finished training early when Daisy called him and asked him to stop by. She had given him a bag of clothes and told him to take them to Misty, as she had no clothes to wear when she got out of the hospital.

As he climbed the stairs, Ash pondered about what happened the last time he was with Misty. She had held him so close, so tight... It made him blush just thinking about it.

_Of course, she was delirious at the time, so it couldn't have meant anything... She was just having a bad dream. But then, she knew it was me. She wanted me to stay... So I do have a chance. I think..._

"Ow!" Ash was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even realize he had bumped into a guy.

"Watch where you're- ouch!"

"Just go!"

"Oh, right. Sorry, man."

_Wait, was that Gary that I just bumped into? ... Who was that other guy? He sure has a girly voice._

Ash found the door to Misty's room open. The bed was unmade and the bathroom door was slightly open.

"Misty? Are you in the bathroom?" There was no response.

He knocked on the slightly open door just in case and went in. Sure enough, it was empty. The lights were on, and there were hospital garbs on the floor.

"Is she out of the hospital already?"

He was just about to leave when he almost tripped on something on the floor. He reached down and picked it up. It was a lab coat. On the chest pocket was a name tag that read: _Gary Oak, Pokemon Research Department_

"Huh."

_So that _was _Gary. Then was that... Misty?!_

**End of Chapter 9**

Ehh. Lame ending. Not much done either. I don't know what I'm doing. Sorry. Again, thanks for the patience. I just had my finals so I was really busy. Now that I have no school, I should be able to update more often. Thanks for your support!


	10. Girl's Smile

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 10**

**Girl's Smile**

"I can't believe this," whispered a depressed Misty while pointing at the orange Lamborghini parked in front of her.

"Yeah, fine, isn't she?"

Misty sighed as she watched Gary gush over his car.

"And that is why I decided to buy this Diablo VT 2 instead. I even did a custom paint job. You know, to add a little bit of the Oak touch."

"A little bit? You do realize this car is the same bright orange car that appears in the tabloids like _every other day_."

"I guess they take a few pics here and there. I mean it's me we're talking about. And my car."

"Your car's going to get me on the front page of some piece of garbage! And with _you_!"

"Hey, what's wrong with me? Normal girls would kill for a picture with me!"

"Not me," she replied icily.

"You're such a little-"

"What? Such a little what?"

The sound of shutters going off brought them out of their fight. There was a man hiding behind a van, and he was getting some of the best shots of his career.

Misty was frozen and staring at the camera. The flash exploded and faded into blurry purple dots in front of her eyes. Soon there was another flash; another paparazzi. The lights blinded her and made her head throb. The parking lot air was thin and hot, and she suddenly found herself gasping for breaths.

"Go away! Stop taking pictures!" She heard Gary yell.

"Let's go," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards his car. Misty lost her balance, and he pulled her into him before she could collapse. His mind blanked out for a moment, and all he could feel was the warmth from Misty's body.

_Not a good time to blank out.. Uhh... do something man!_

Suddenly, he picked up the girl in his arms bridal style and gently laid her inside his car. He got in himself, started the engine, and drove as fast as he could out of the parking lot.

Only after going a safe distance from the hospital and checking that nobody was pursuing them did he allow himself to look at Misty.

"Hey, you alright? Misty?"

He turned his head to look at her and sighed in relief when she showed signs of consciousness.

"Ugh..." She waited for her eyes to focus and observed her surroundings.

"Car. Gary Oak."

"Good observation."

"Shut up."

After a minute of silent brooding, Misty finally spoke.

"How did this happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"What happened after I blacked out?"

"I got you in the car and drove out of there."

"I don't even want to think about what that looked like to all the paparazzi."

"Yeah. I suggest you don't go out of your house tomorrow. Or turn on the TV. You probably would want to avoid your sisters too. And don't pick up the phone."

Misty laughed.

"Okay, mother."

"Hey, I'm just trying to protect you," he replied with fake indignation.

"Thank you," she said seriously. "I never thought I would say this to you of all people, but you've been so great to me... Ever since you got me fired."

"That sounds really bad."

"Well, it's true. No offense, but the way you used to treat Ash didn't exactly make me want to get to know you."

Gary fell silent. She was talking about Ash. About how he had treated him badly and that made her dislike him.

"He used to go _crazy _every time you showed up and acted all cocky. Actually," she smiled. "I think he still does.

_Why does she always have to look so happy when talking about Ash? What does he have that I don't have? _

"Why do you like Ash?"

His question was so direct and sudden that Misty just blushed and looked out the window.

He expected her to suddenly blow up and yell at him that she did not like Ash, but she didn't. She just kept gazing out the window at something he could not see.

Night was approaching slowly. The remainder of the ride to Misty's house was quiet. Gary focused on the road, and Misty counted the streetlights they passed.

It was when the car finally stopped in front of her garage that they dared to meet each other's gaze. He mustered up enough courage to take her hand, and Misty almost flinched at the contact. Her blue-green eyes searched his face, and he saw confusion in them. He was momentarily overcome by the desire to pull her close and kiss her, but she took her hand away, breaking his trance. Without a word, she opened the door, and before she stepped out, gave him what he thought was an apologetic smile. He watched her walk away from him, never looking back, and tried to figure out why her smile made him feel so strange.

It was like she was apologizing for loving someone else.

_That's why it's so bittersweet._

**End of Chapter 10**

sorry for the super late update, sorry for the sucky shortness, sorry for anything else I might have caused you guys. And sorry to say that I cannot guarantee that i will be updating soon after this. And I just realized I keep changing from Misty to Gary to Ash in terms of viewpoint, and I shouldn't do it, but it's easier that way... So I think it'll keep happening. My apologies. wow that's a lot of sorrys (sorries?) so I shall end with a Thank you for reading this and giving me feedback. I like it when I realize that people haven't forgotten Misty. Because I personally think she is the coolest character in pokemon.


	11. Girl's Morning

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 11**

**Girl's Morning**

Misty woke up to a piercing scream. Anybody else would have panicked and searched for the source of trouble, but Misty merely muttered, "Lily."

She got out of her bed and walked sluggishly to the bathroom.

She stared at herself in the mirror, recalling everything that had happened last night.

Last night, she had gone straight to bed in hopes of forgetting about the potential awkwardness she might have created between her and Gary. She had never taken him seriously before. He was just another playboy who wanted to do the girl in the skimpy mermaid suit.

She applied toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

Plus, ever since she was twelve or so, whenever she had tried to imagine herself with her future boyfriend, Ash had always, and annoyingly, popped into her mind. She would tell herself over and over that it must be because she was with him practically 24/7, but that was the same case with Brock also. Then she would reason that Brock was older than her, so it was impossible to think of him as her potential boyfriend. But _that_ always led to a tragic dead end because it meant that she _was _thinking of Ash as her potential boyfriend. She thought she was crazy at first, but the more time she spent with him, the more firmly he became rooted in her head. Even after they went their separate ways and drifted apart over the years, there was always a small hope within her, that they would be reunited and live happily ever after.

She shook her head disapprovingly at her reflection and began brushing her teeth.

_Happily ever after! Who am I kidding?_

Ash was back in her life now, and she thought maybe, _maybe_, she could get over her messed up emotional problems, confess her love to him and get married or something.

She rolled her eyes at such a scenario happening anytime soon.

The more she thought about how she felt for Ash, the more confused she became. There was that glaring possibility that he would leave again to pursue his dream. She tried to imagine the moment.

_Would I stop him? _

_No... _

_Because I don't think I would stop for him if he was keeping me from my dream. Does that mean I don't love him? Am I too selfish to give up my dream for him?_

_What _is_ my dream?_

_To become the greatest water pokemon master... Except with Dragonite also._

_Well, that's about as vague as Ash's dream. Maybe we can just go off on another journey together!_

She spat and rinsed her mouth.

_But I don't know..._

And this is when her mind came back to the issue of Gary.

_What the hell is wrong with him?!?!_

The way he had acted yesterday had surprised her thoroughly.

_It's like he loves me or something..._

_But he doesn't. He's just trying to reel me in with his charms and money and... kindness... _

_Why is he so nice? Oh, wait. Because he wants to reel me in! _

_But, still... He seems to know what's best for me better than I do! It's outrageous! _

With so many thoughts going around in her head, Misty had almost forgotten about Lily's screaming.

She quickly put on a navy sweatshirt and light blue shorts to match and jogged out the back door of the house with a muffin in her hand. She jogged towards a little forest path behind her house. About a minute later, she could see a magnificent lake in the middle of a grassy clearing.

It was this lake that had immediately persuaded her and her sisters to buy their Sinnoh house.

They all had water pokemon, and the lake was large enough for all of them to swim around comfortably. Not only was it large enough, nobody seemed to know of its existence. It was a paradise for Misty; a place where she could train and catch water pokemon without being bothered by any paparazzi.

"Misty! Thank goodness you're here! Your Dragonite is like going _crazy_!" Lily was out of breath and looking up frantically at the cloudless, piercing blue sky.

Misty looked up too, but did not see anything.

"Dragonite? I'm home!"

A flash of orange-yellow zoomed across the sky at an incredible speed, circling her and roaring angrily.

"I'm sorry! I was going to say hi to you as soon as I got home, but I thought you'd be sleeping! Come on down, please?"

Dragonite's flying became slower as he circled and observed his master with a contemplative gaze. Misty laughed at how sensitive her pokemon was. The almighty dragon, capable of destroying a house with one Hyper Beam, was mad because she had left him alone for too long and did not say hi to him when she got back. She sighed and waved the muffin she had brought so her pokemon could see it. Dragonite came down immediately, gulping down the muffin in one gigantic bite when she tossed it at him.

"Feel better now?" She asked while laughing.

Dragonite gave a content roar, hovering slightly from side to side.

"You know, your pokemon only listen to us when they feel like it. Just like you," Lily said with one raised eyebrow.

"They haven't been causing too much trouble, have they?" She said worriedly while petting Dragonite's belly.

"Besides Dragonite, not really. Well, Gyarados seems to enjoy scaring us half to death by popping out of the lake and roaring at us.

"Aw, he just wants to play hide-and-seek with you."

"_AHHHH!!!"_

"Like, there it goes again! Poor Violet!"

Misty sighed.

_I guess I'm the only one who thinks it's cute when he does that. Well, I can't blame them. I was scared stiff of Gyarados when I was younger._

"Gyarados!" Misty yelled out happily as she saw its gigantic figure twisting around in the water.

The pokemon swam up to her, greeting her with a friendly roar and bending down so she could pet him.

"Ready to train?" She said, trying to get her mind off of her so-called "relationship issues". Gyarados nodded eagerly, and Dragonite walked over to stand behind her.

"Oh, hold on, you guys. I'm just going to get something to eat. I am _so _hungry, and that muffin was for me!"

Dragonite, feeling a little sorry, offered her a ride back to the house even though it was only a short distance.

"Let's go!" She told her pokemon, and they were off.

Meanwhile, Ash was sitting on his bike on the driveway of Misty's house, debating on whether he should go and talk to her or not.

He saw her trotting towards the house from her backyard with a huge Dragonite following her closely.

"Whoa, a Dragonite... That is so cool," he whispered to himself.

He observed as Misty took out a stack of mail from her mail box and disappeared into the house. He took a deep breath and got off his bike, resolute on talking to Misty about ... everything. He didn't know where to start. There was so much he wanted to tell her, and so much he wanted to know about her. A lot seemed to have happened since Misty left to take care of the Cerulean Gym. Frankly, he was afraid that they had drifter apart to a point of no return.

He was on her doorstep now.

He hesitated for a moment, his index finger lingering on the doorbell. He was about to press it when Misty opened the door and walked right into him.

He wrapped his arms around her instinctively and momentarily froze when he saw her looking up at him with a very surprised expression.

"Ash!"

"Uh, hi!"

Ash noticed that he had to look down to see her face. He was a good six inches taller than her now.

"Um..." She said while looking down at the arms that were still around her waist.

"Oh! Sorry."

"Oh, it's okay."

It was weird that they were stuck in such an awkward, stiff conversation when three years ago they could argue all day, constantly talking _over _each other.

"Do you- uh- want to come in?" She asked, a little flustered at the sudden and strangely awkward encounter.

"Uh, if that's okay," he replied, now realizing that it was a bad idea to come to her house without even calling her in advance. "I mean, if you're not busy. Actually, you look busy, so I guess I'll just catch you later. You know, when you're not... busy. Yeah, I think I'll go. You should... Nice Dragonite."

"Yeah."

They both stared at her pokemon, making it tilt its head curiously.

"It's my only non-water pokemon," Misty said suddenly.

"Cool," Ash replied while continuously nodding.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Alright... Bye."

He turned around stiffly, walking towards his bike and mentally screaming at himself and how stupid he just sounded.

"Wait!" Misty yelled after him.

He immediately turned around, now standing a good five feet away from her.

"You're just gonna go like that?"

He blinked dumbly.

"Well, you look busy."

"You came all this way, and now you're just going to leave?"

"You-"

"Ash Ketchum, I swear you are so dense sometimes! You're my friend. I'll always have time for you." She cracked a smile. "Just like old times."

He smiled back.

_I guess things haven't changed _that _much._

**End of Chapter 11**

So sorry for the horribly late update. I got inspired when I saw a part of a Pokemon Diamond/Pearl episode. Ash was using a lure, and the girl who's replaced the girl who replaced Misty (haha) asked where he got it or something. And Ash looked so proud/happy saying that Misty gave it to him! And when the girl asked if she could use it, he was like NO! I thought it was so cute. Anyways, feel free to share any of your thoughts!


	12. Girl Gets Hugged

**I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters in Pokemon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 12**

**Girl Gets Hugged**

"So, what brings the famous Ash Ketchum to my humble abode?" Misty asked with a playful grin.

"You're calling _me_famous? You're the one who had to move because of your little fan boys."

She couldn't help but notice the tone of disgust he used when he said "fan boys."

"Hey, they're not little! For your information, some of those guys are pretty cute. It's those few that make it all worth it," she joked.

She took a kettle that had been sitting on the stove and poured some green tea for her and Ash.

Ash scrunched up his eyebrows as he took his mug. "Since when did you get so shallow?"

"Since I got pretty fan boys," she said smugly.

"Hm," he replied shortly.

"Jealous?" She taunted.

"I think you've been hanging out with Gary way too much," he preached with a mock-serious face.

She smiled. "I do sound like him, huh?"

A pensive look was etched on her face as she slowly sipped her green tea. She sighed quietly and put her cup down.

"I guess that's a bad thing. But- He's not _that_bad. Well, not anymore, at least."

"I guess..." The somewhat surprised boy answered. "But, Gary's always nice to pretty girls."

Misty blushed.

Ash also turned red at the realization of what he had just implied.

"Of course, that doesn't explain why he's so nice to you," he quickly added.

Misty punched him in the face.

"You just had to ruin it by being you."

"Ow... I forgot all about your violence... Speaking of violence, what happened to your mallet?"

"I'm getting it upgraded," she stated matter-of-factly.

"U-upgraded...?"

"Yup. Want some more tea?" She asked with a smile that would have made her fan boys faint.

Ash blinked dumbly at her sudden return to composure.

"Scary..." He whispered to himself.

"Excuse me?" She asked in a tone that warned him not to speak more.

"Ah! Nothing!" He lied, waving his arms frantically and backing away a bit. He looked around desperately, trying to think of something to change the dangerous subject. "Hey, you got mail! Aren't you going to open all of that?"

Misty lowered her eyes to the kitchen countertop, which was currently bombarded with a messy pile of different-colored envelopes, a myriad of magazines, and boxes of varying size. She groaned and banged her head against the countertop. Ash too lowered his head and rested his chin on the surface right next to Misty's depressed face.

"Uh, something wrong?"

"Just two days ago, the only mail we got were subscriptions and bills and such, but the fan mail has started pouring in again." She turned her head to face him and gave him a pout, which for some reason made his whole body tense up.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

"Well, I love my fans, and I appreciate the gifts they send me. But if they know my new address, that means the paparazzi do too. They've been after me like rats ever since the Whirl Cup."

"Why don't you just tell your fan boys to protect you or something," he said, half-joking.

"Yeah, right," she sighed. "They're too crazy to do anything like that. Half the time, they're fighting each other. Besides, they _want_ more pictures of me. Apparently they don't like my no-pictures policy. Not much of a policy either, since they try to take photos_anyways._"

Ash laughed, a little glad that she did not, after all, seem to be too interested in any of those guys.

"Most of them are my sisters' fans anyway," she stated, more to reassure herself than anything. "After all, they're the Fantastic Sisters, and I'm the runt."

She smiled nostalgically as she recalled the numerous instances her sisters had called her 'runt.'

_Mom used to scold them every time they called me that. She told me they were just jealous because I was so cute._

"I'm pretty sure that's not what guys think," he replied vaguely, seemingly hypnotized by Misty's long pale, yet athletic legs. But she was still slumped over the countertop, reflecting on her past.

_Mom..._

She only woke from her reverie when she felt her own hot tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Sorry, what did you just say?" She asked without lifting her head up. She did not want him to see her like this.

This time, he was the one distracted, albeit for completely different reasons.

"Ash?" She enquired while wiping her tears away.

Her head shot up after she decided her face was composed enough.

"Hello? Are you listening to me?"

He flinched and immediately looked away, praying that his best friend did not see him checking her out like that.

"What were you looking at so intently?"

"Uh, the floor. It's nice." He felt incredibly awkward and stupid.

Thankfully, she took his answer and sipped away at her green tea as he quickly focused his eyes on the kitchen wall.

"Yes," she said, putting her head back down on the countertop.

She closed her eyes and relaxed a bit with the feeling of cool marble tiles against her face.

"Like the ocean."

He actually looked at the floor this time. It _was_a pretty blue, and it seemed to have a greenish tint depending on how you were angled when you looked at it.

_Like your eyes._

"I don't really know what to do for my fans," Misty suddenly started.

"What?" He asked confusedly. It seemed that she had changed the subject out of the blue.

"I mean, I still can't believe that I even _have_fans. I'm not like Gary or my sisters, knowing exactly what to say and how to act in order to please them. They always send me letters about how I've inspired them to become great trainers. But I don't know..."

She sighed and blinked slowly.

"I don't think I deserve that kind of respect."

"Misty..." He was trying to piece together so many scrambled thoughts and feelings into words, and it was taking quite a while. He had always found it hard to say anything remotely mature or comforting to girls,_especially_ Misty.

_But I have to get over it. If I really lo- care about her._

"Misty, I... I always got so excited and nervous when I battled you. Well, I'm always like that when it comes to battling, but with you, I think I got even more competitive."

She looked up, surprised to hear her friend say something so mature.

"But then again, you always provoked me," he said as an afterthought. She laughed because it was true.

"I always learned new things from battling you, and... I know I didn't show it much, but you always inspired me to become a better trainer, and I really respected you for that."

He paused.

"I still do."

"Ash..." She said, laughing in embarrassment and grinning like a child. "That is the nicest, most sincere thing anyone's said to me."

"Yeah, I know. Don't know where that came from. What did you put in this tea?" he joked.

Her smiling lips soon turned into a rigid line.

"Do you _have _to ruin every nice thing you say to me like that?"

Ash laughed but immediately put on a serious face just in case his emotional friend would suddenly switch to "Murder Ash" mode. Misty saw this and started giggling, and soon, both of them were laughing freely.

Of course many of the guys say stuff like that too, but I got really freaked out recently when these two guys started stalking me."

Ash gazed at her seriously. He searched her face for any signs of distress, but she only seemed a bit tired.

"And yesterday, I did something really stupid." She put her hands on her head, trying not to imagine the photos they must have taken of her and Gary.

"Ahh!!!! Stupid Oak! Should've just stayed in the hospital... I'm such an idiot! So impatient... couldn't wait just one more day... in his clothes... fainted... fainted in his clothes!"

"Misty? Misty! Hey! Snap out of it!"

"I'm_dead_."

"I-it's not that bad, is it? What did you do?" Ash asked nervously.

"Uh," was all she said as she began nervously sorting through her mail, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't sound completely outrageous.

After she spent a good five minutes sorting fan letters from bills, she realized that Ash had been strangely quiet for the whole time.

She saw him staring intently at something lying on the countertop, and followed his gaze. She found herself looking at a very, _very_appalling cover of a magazine.

_**  
**_

_**SINNOH WEEKLY**_

_Move over Lance and Lorelei!_

_**NEW**__HOTTEST COUPLE OF THE YEAR:_

_MISTY WATERFLOWER AND GARY OAK_

_**INSIDE**__: Juicy Photos of their public show of affection!_

_Plus interviews from witnesses who saw them together! _

_  
_

The cover picture showed Gary Oak in all his ruffled-haired glory, carrying what seemed to be an attractive, sleeping Misty in his arms.

She banged her head against the countertop for the second time that day when she observed that the Misty in the picture was dressed loosely in Gary's dress shirt and pants.

_It looks like I slept with him or something! _

"I'm gonna kill him," Ash muttered under his breath.

"What?" She asked, her face smashed against the tiled surface.

"New hottest couple of the year. Misty Waterflower and Gary Oak. Great..."

"NO!" She yelled out, suddenly jumping up. "I can't believe this! And what's with the 'Move over Lance and Lorelei'?! Lorelei is my idol! This is so utterly disrespectful!"

"What were you guys doing?" He enquired seriously.

"Huh?"

Misty finally tore her gaze from the wretched magazine to look at Ash.

She felt her body tense when she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"Ash... You don't believe this gossip magazine, do you?"

"Well, there's juicy photos and witnesses," he replied bitterly.

"I can't believe this!" She also couldn't believe she was almost tearing up over this. "You would rather listen to what _Sinnoh Daily _has to say over_me_?"

"I don't know Misty. I came back here thinking that I meant something to you. And I'm trying to understand. But for some reason, I keep getting the impression that Gary's replaced me already."

"Replaced you? How can you say that? We've been together for so long. We've saved each other's _lives_. I worried about you _every day_ since we parted. You think I would replace you? You think I _could_replace you?"

She stopped herself from going on anymore. She had said too much. She hated how vulnerable she was right now. After her dad left, she had promised herself she would never expose herself like this. Yet, here she was, afraid of the tears that would flow the moment she closed her eyes, staring at the white-washed wall instead of gazing straight into his eyes like she normally would have done. She could even feel a blush shamelessly spreading across her cheeks.

She glared at the magazine, hoping it would burst into flames or something, but it just became a blurry colorful blob as her eyes grew watery.

_I don't want to cry. _

She almost laughed when she began to see purple dots swirling around the room. Her eyes weren't blurry because of the tears welling up. She was about to faint again.

_Why am I so weak when he's around? _

It was all so pathetic. This whole situation. That stupid magazine, the painful flashbacks of the past that she so desperately wanted to bury, the burning gaze that she felt from Ash, and the fact that she could not bring herself to look his way.

_Maybe it will all end up a dream if I black out._

_But it's the dreams that hurt the most. It's the dreams that give me hope and step all over me at the same time._

"Misty."

She flinched at the sound of her name.

_Why can't I be strong? I wasn't like this when I was with him. Even when he left, I was alright. Now that he's back, I can't do anything but break down._

"Misty."

She was tempted to glance at the boy who was calling her so earnestly. But she knew that if she connected with that clear gaze of his, she would not be able to hold back the tears anymore.

_I will not cry. I'm too proud for that._

So she once again turned her gaze to the white-washed wall, examining every insignificant bump and tracing the outline of two shadows cast upon it. One was taller than the other. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw the taller shadow moving towards the smaller one. She spun her head to the front, but looked at the floor. A pair of shoes appeared in front of her own bare feet, and her feet looked so small and delicate compared to the blue and white sneakers facing them. Before she had the courage to look up, or rather the thought to run away, she was engulfed in a tight hug, and a familiar warmth that she had missed for so long filled her from head to toe.

"I'm sorry, Misty."

She was surprised by the hug, and even more surprised that she was not crying.

"Don't leave me," he whispered in her ear.

_Nobody's ever said that to me... I was always the one saying it._

"Okay," she whispered back, a faint smile gracing her lips.

**End of Chapter 12**

**  
**

I just want to say, I feel INCREDIBLY STUPID for naming all my chapters "Girl bla bla" or "Boy bla bla" because there are so many other good titles I could use for the chapters, and the so-called format I'm using SEVERELY limits the possibilities. I feel stupid.

Anyways, I think this was a bit longer than usual. I don't know what to say about this one. I always have a better perspective if I reread it like a week or so later. So please help me better myself with your wise reviews! Thank you for reading!


	13. Girl and Bikes

**I don't own Pokémon or any of the characters in Pokémon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**--------------------------------------------- **

**Chapter 13**

**Girl and Bikes**

**---------------------------------------------- **

"Hmm, that's strange," he said to himself as he sorted through his mail. There were three rather plain envelopes with red, pointing-hand stamps on them. Each post office-issued stamp read:

_RETURN TO SENDER_

_For Better Address_

"Don't tell me he give me the wrong address."

He rushed into his car and set off for the nearest Pokémon Center, which also served as a post office.

When he got there, he saw that the post office lady was already leaving her desk for her lunch break. But then again, as a woman well in her thirties working at the front desk of a post office, her lunch break was the only thing to look forward to.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he yelled across the hall, but she did not seem to hear him. He ran up to her and gently grabbed her arm. The woman turned around flustered and rather angry, but blushed when she saw who it was. It was Professor Tate, the famous and handsome marine Pokémon biologist who had opened up a small research center in the city about three months ago. He had luscious blonde hair, was known (though never confirmed) to be in his late thirties, and was the love interest of many women in the city. Even those already married were always gushing about his being a gentleman and how handsome and eligible he was. He was the ultimate bachelor, and it was almost suspicious that a man of such perfection was single at his age.

"Y-yes?" She asked in a dreamy voice.

"I've been sending mail to my family, but they've all come back to me. This is very important to me, and I was wondering if you could look up the correct address for me?" His left hand was still on her arm, and his gaze was intense yet sincere.

The woman looked a bit taken aback.

"Your family?"

"Yes," he said with a nostalgic smile. "My four beautiful daughters, to be exact."

"D-daughters, you say?" She could almost hear the screams of all the women as their hopes got shattered.

"I'm sorry. Is there something wrong?" He asked with concern, for the woman suddenly looked sick. "Perhaps I've come at an inconvenient time?"

"No, no! I was just . . . I didn't know you had a family, let alone daughters." She seemed very embarrassed now. "Um, could I get their name?"

"Oh, of course. It's Waterflower. And they're currently in the Sinnoh region."

"Waterflower… Let's see… Wait, as in _the_ Waterflower girls? _You _are their father?"

"Uh, you know them?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Who _doesn't_? Daisy, Lily, and Violet are the Fantastic Sisters, and I hear they're going to star in a big movie! Oh, and don't even get me started on Misty. Oh, but silly me! You probably know all about it, I mean you are her father!"

"No, please do tell," he answered quickly. "What about Misty?"

"I guess you never watch TV, Professor Tate."

"Only the news, occasionally."

"Well, your youngest was on the news not too long ago."

"Is that so?" He was genuinely surprised.

"Oh yes. She's been getting an awful lot of publicity ever since she won the Whirl Cup."

Tate was silent for a moment. He couldn't believe how much he had missed. His baby girl had become a master Pokémon trainer, and he was the only one who had not known.

"And just today, it was revealed that she was dating Gary Oak. Judging by those pictures, they seem to be _very _close," she giggled.

"P-pictures?"

"Now that I think about it, you've got quite a troublesome bunch of girls on your hands! How _do _you cope with all those crazy boys drooling over your daughters?"

"Oak's kid… with my baby girl?" He felt as if something broke inside him.

The post office lady was already walking away, hardly able to contain her excitement. She had in her possession the most valuable piece of information since the rumors about Professor Tate's supposed girlfriend, and couldn't wait to see the looks on her friends' faces when she told them what she had found out that day.

Meanwhile, the professor was petrified in the middle of the Pokémon Center, repeating what he had just heard over and over.

"Jason!"

"Crazy boys drooling over my daughters? NO!" It was too cruel a picture for any father to imagine, especially for a father of _four_ beautiful daughters.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Came a concerned voice from behind him.

"Oh, Angeline, you're here! Listen, it's horrible"

"I'm guessing you're talking about the media coverage on your kids."

"Yes… How did this happen? I always knew those three wanted to be famous and all, but Misty? And apparently she's with Oak's kid!"

"Jason, calm down. You've been debating for three months on when to see your daughters. _This _is it. We're going _right now_."

"You're coming with me?" He asked with mixed confusion and hope.

The woman called Angeline looked at the troubled man standing before her with a sad smile. "I don't want to interfere with anything, but I also don't want to see you mess everything up when you've wanted this for so long."

"Thank you, Angeline. I don't know what I would do without you."

He hugged her tightly, letting out a sigh of relief.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She found herself unable to move, and he wasn't about to let her go anytime soon. Her mind vaguely registered the front door opening, but her body still did nothing about it.

"Misty, did you borrow a bike from that boy again? You shouldn't lead him on unless you really WHOAH."

Misty looked immensely flustered, and Ash just turned his head to discover Daisy standing by the doorway.

"Ash," Misty whispered, and he immediately let go, quickly positioning himself a few feet away from her.

"Oh, so it's _your_ bike," Daisy stated in slight surprise, a tinge of playfulness in her tone.

"But the same thing applies to every boy. Don't lead him on unless you really like him."

"I'm not leading anyone on!" Misty defended hotly.

"I'm just saying," her older sister smirked. "Better safe than sorry."

She felt her hands tighten into fists.

"Poor guy…" Daisy continued. "He lent you his bike like so many times thinking you would fall for him, but alas!" She paused dramatically and directed her gaze at Ash. "Little did he know that you had used that same trick on another boy long ago!"

"Hey, you're talking about me!" Ash said dumbly.

"Shut up," was Misty's reply. "That wasn't a trick! And I only borrowed his bike because _you _lent _mine _to your boyfriend's little sister! Twice!"

"Oh, but what about that other time?" Daisy enquired with suspicious eyes.

"He he just offered it to me and ran away! What was I supposed to do?"

"It was raining, and he didn't want you to get too wet! How totally romantic is he? Again, poor guy."

"DAISY!"

"Like I said," she said with a pout. "Poor, poor guy."

Misty was about to launch at her eldest sister when Ash pulled her back.

"Calm down, Mist!" said Ash. "Just tell this guy that you already have a boyfriend."

"What?" She said, baffled.

"Show him the magazine," he said with a straight face.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Daisy laughed.

"Ash Ketchum, I am going to kill you."

"Misty, please," he begged. "You don't look so hot with veins popping out of your forehead. Why don't you just sit down and breathe…"

"WHAT?"

"Uh, I think that came out wrong. I, uh, just"

"Dragonite!"

"Hey, you're not going to I mean we're still inside."

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam his head off!"

"Misty, PLEASE"

"Hey, I told you before. No Hyper Beams in the house!" Daisy called out with mock-authority.

"Thank you," sighed Ash.

"Do it outside," she finished.

"No, Daisy! How could you? Traitor NO!"

Daisy looked on serenely as Dragonite engulfed the boy in its claws and proceeded to follow its master's orders to drag him out of the house and blow his head off.

"I swear… kids these days play like way too much video games."

"AHHH, my bike! Your Dragonite melted my bike!"

"Well, then that's revenge for when your Pikachu fried mine!"

------------------------------------------------

**End of Chapter 13**

I will be bringing the girls' father into the story I made it kind of vague, but that shall be explained in the future. Thank you for reading, and feel free to tell me what you think in those reviews!


	14. Girl and Detective Girl

**I don't own Pokémon or any of the characters in Pokémon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 14**

**Girl and Detective Girl**

"So… What should we do now?" Ash asked as he tapped on the kitchen counter top twice.

After Daisy left for the lake to find her other sisters, Misty and Ash found themselves in a very awkward situation.

Ash was certain that he needed Misty to be happy. It had taken him about five years to realize it, but now he was certain. Now it was just a matter of what she felt for him. Although he was no pro when it came to girls, especially the redheaded one he so cared about, he was getting the impression that she liked him back. But if he knew one thing about Misty, it was that she was unpredictable. And the fact that she was gazing at the front door, her brows furrowed as her mind delved deep into a reverie, told him that it might not be the best time to pronounce his feelings to her. And that thought made him wonder if she did not already know how he felt about her. He could even count the times that he gawked at her openly, and then just today he had hugged her for literally five minutes, begging her not to leave him. If she did not get at least a hint of his affection from that, then … well then she was denser than him.

_bzzzzzz_

Ash stirred at the sudden break of silence. Misty was now staring gravely at her cell phone.

"I have to go," she stated abruptly.

"What?"

"I have to go, Ash. Sorry, I wanted to talk… about everything, but right now I have to go. Let's hang out later, okay?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Daisy, can I borrow your car?" She yelled out, not expecting an answer as all her sisters were now out by the lake beyond the backyard.

"I'll take that as a yes," and with that, she grabbed what looked like a bundle of colorful Pokémon key chains and rushed to the door.

Ash waved goodbye to her back in a slightly disappointed manner, and as if she sensed this, Misty ran back to him and gave him a tight hug.

"I'm really sorry I'm leaving so suddenly. I" And instead of finishing her sentence, she just brought her blue-green eyes to his brown ones, and somehow, that was reassuring enough for him.

…………………………………………………………………….

A black-haired female who looked to be about twenty was sitting alone in the local diner. She fiddled with her black-rimmed glasses as she stared at the untouched latte on the table in front of her. She put her glasses back on and placed her bag onto her lap, nervously glancing down at it.

"Should I really be doing this?" She sighed to herself.

She had waited precisely eleven minutes and twenty-two seconds when the girl he was waiting for came through the diner entrance.

"Misty!" The girl exclaimed as she stood up.

"Kara!" Misty replied just as enthusiastically.

"Oh, I missed you so much," the girl named Kara replied.

Kara was a friend from Cerulean City that Misty had known practically from birth. She was granddaughter to Misty's grandmother's best friend. She was also two years older than her and friends with her sisters as well. In truth, the two did not have much in common except that they were both the youngest in the family, but that was enough for them to click instantly. They were inseparable until Kara's family had to move to Johto due to her dad's new job location. Since then, they had corresponded through mail and phone frequently, and while Misty trained to become the best water Pokémon trainer, Kara pursued her own dream of becoming a detective. She had accumulated quite a bit of fame herself for exposing countless scandals involving Team Rocket and corruption among gym leaders.

Misty took in her friend's appearance, commenting on how she had gotten even prettier since she last saw her.

"We're both so busy, huh?" She observed with a frown.

"I'd say _you're _the busier one," she stated with a playful twinkle in her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Busy with Gary Oak is what I mean," she laughed.

"Ugh, not you too!"

"Misty, it's _everywhere_ in the cities. Don't tell me you expected people to just ignore such scandalous pictures of the two hottest celebrities around!"

"Actually, I did. And I'm no celebrity. And neither is Oak. He's just got the ego of one."

"You aren't in love with him, are you?" She asked, worried that her friend had fallen for the notorious playboy.

"In _love_? With _him_? Oh, God, no! That was just a stroke of bad luck. I haven't been feeling too good lately, so I fainted"

"You fainted! Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. Anyways, Daisy, Ash, and Gary rushed me to the hospital"

"Ash? As in Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes," Misty replied, a bit flustered as she remembered what happened earlier at her house.

"Do I sense a love triangle?" Kara smirked.

"No, you don't," she retorted sternly. "Just let me finish, will you?"

The raven-haired girl did a motion of zipping her mouth closed and gestured at her friend to continue.

"I had some kind of insane fever for like three days, and when I woke up, I was so worried about my Pokémon. Plus, it was getting really stifling in that hospital room you know how I hate hospitals."

She nodded.

"So, I wanted to go home but there was this really scary nurse there, and Gary just happened to be there so he helped me out."

"By _sleeping_ with you?" She asked half-seriously.

Misty felt herself burning up at the unexpected question. She took a drink of her water to compose herself a bit.

"No!" She replied when she recovered. "Where in the world did you get _that _idea?"

"From this magazine," Kara replied, taking said magazine out of her bag and placing it on the table.

"See, he's carrying you," she pointed out, "and you're wearing what appears to be his clothes."

"You and your amazing detective skills," she said sarcastically.

"Yes, I know. Well, then how do you explain it?"

"There were some guys who wanted to meet me outside the hospital so Gary made me wear that as a disguise."

"Those freaks after you again? Clever of that Oak boy."

Misty somewhat agreed.

"Not!" Kara exclaimed as she slammed her hands down on the table. "That was totally unnecessary. I think he just gets turned on when girls wear his clothes."

"Kara!"

"Sorry, sorry. Anyways, we should talk about the real reason I called you out here."

Both girls became more solemn, and Kara took out a manila envelope from her bag and slid it across the table to her friend. _CONFIDENTIAL _was stamped on it in bold red letters. "You… You really found him?" She was breathless and suddenly found that she could hear her heart pounding.

She was about to pick up the envelope and look inside when Kara suddenly grabbed her hand in place.

"You don't have to do this," she said, her face a mixture of worry and guilt. "What you learn I mean you're probably going to end up more hurt."

Misty placed her own hand upon her friend's, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm grateful that you worry so much about me, but I don't think I can just go on not knowing what happened. I still have dreams about him. I feel like… Maybe if I do this, they'll go away."

Kara sighed and reluctantly let go of her hand.

"I just don't want to see you break again. It's painful to see."

"I'm sorry."

Misty stared blankly at the envelope while her friend waited for her to speak.

"I'm sorry… I can't guarantee I won't break. I probably will. But" She turned her eyes to her friend, a tired smile gracing her lips.

"It's bound to happen sooner or later the way my life is going so far, don't you think?"

Kara smirked.

"You do have a pretty messy life."

The orange-haired girl put on a face of mock-offense.

"Says Ms. 'I spy on strangers for the fun of it.'"

"For your information, that's what detectives do. And I get money for it." She appeared thoughtful for a moment before she replied, "And I do get a kick out of it."

The girls laughed at their strange lives, and it was refreshing to do so. Misty declared that she would open the envelope when she got home. For now, she just wanted to enjoy being with Kara. They had a nice long chat while they ate lunch, catching up on each other's lives as well as reminiscing old times.

**End of Chapter 14**

Sorry for the super late update. Any questions? Thanks for the reviews and for your continued attention


	15. Girl and the Letter

**I don't own Pokémon or any of the characters in Pokémon. This story is purely for fan enjoyment!**

**Chapter 15**

**Girl and the Letter**

When Misty got back to the house, she was glad that Ash had left. After her reunion with Kara and the envelope she got from it, she felt anxious and scared, and she didn't want him to see her weak side again.

The sealed envelope opened easily as she slid her index finger underneath the tab. She hesitated, putting it back down onto the table. Her hands were shaking and she felt like her heart was being twisted into knots. She took a few deep breaths, only to realize it was just making her feel more suffocated. She hated feeling so unsettled. She was strong; he had no right to have this effect on her. And yet, every time she was reminded of him, the pangs of betrayal and grief came back to haunt her.

She gripped the envelope once again, and with a sense of finality, spilled out its entire content onto the table. She grabbed what was on the very top, which turned out to be a lengthy letter from Kara.

_Misty,_

_Remember the huge car accident three years ago that was all over the news because Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni, died in it? Along with Giovanni, seven of his best officers were killed in that three-way car crash. The whole world was going nuts over this piece of news. Nobody could believe that the biggest crime lord of this century was dead, along with most of his main supporters. You're probably wondering what this has to do with anything, but just keep reading. The media only talked about Giovanni and his lackeys, never the other car involved. The only report was that it was a convertible and the driver was a middle-aged male, and that he had survived the crash somehow. _That's_ why it was so hard to track him down, Misty. That middle-aged male was your dad! When the medics got to him, he was unconscious and critically injured. Apparently he had been driving under the influence with no license or any form of identification whatsoever. He was in a coma for almost two years. When he finally woke up, he still had amnesia, and from what I gathered, he only made full recovery three months ago. _

_I know you're going to think, "How did she find this out all of a sudden when she had been on this case for two years?" Well, I'm a bit ashamed to say that this time it was more luck than skill. I was at a Pokémon Center in Johto three weeks ago when I actually _saw _him talking to the post office lady there. I almost screamed! Then I just went around talking to the local women and found out whatever I could. But you know those middle-aged ladies are 900 gossip… Well, here's what I know for sure. He goes by the name, Jason Tate. Tate was your mom's maiden name, wasn't it? I wonder if he changed his name in remembrance of her… Anyways, he's still a marine Pokémon biologist, and from what the locals told me, he moved there three months ago. I guess that was right after he got all of his memories back. The town's called Arsboro, and it's situated on a bay. Also, this could very well be negligible, but the gossip in that town is that he's got a girlfriend. I wanted to do some research on her, but nobody knew her, and I thought I should tell you what I learned of him as soon as possible. Basically, what I'm trying to say is DON'T FREAK OUT OVER NOTHING LIKE YOU'RE PRONE TO DO SOMETIMES! If nobody there knows who she is, she's probably no one significant to begin with._

_Finally, disclosed in this envelope are some photos I got of him as well as his current work address and phone number. Good luck, Misty, and know that you _always _have a friend in me. That means, don't bottle up all your feelings just to act tough! We all know you're one of the most powerful trainers around!_

_Love, Your Favorite Detective_

She put the letter down. There was just so much information. So much _shocking_ information. She had to wait for her brain to process it all.

_The Giovanni crash… Dad was in it too? He was the drunk driver that got them all killed? _

She didn't know what to feel.

_Pictures… Kara said there were pictures. _

With trembling hands, she sorted through the pile of papers on the table and found a small white envelope labeled _PHOTOS_. She let out an involuntary gasp. A picture. A picture of _him_. It was only a side shot of him walking across the street, but still her face burned up and hot tears threatened to fall. His blonde hair was not the disheveled mess she remembered last seeing. She put it down and moved on to the next photos. There was one of him talking to a Nurse Joy with a serious expression etched across his face. There was another in which he was crouched down in front of a Psyduck, laughing and petting its confused head affectionately. The last picture was of him getting a book for a girl who was not tall enough to reach the top of the bookshelf. He was smiling so warmly. For some reason, it made her mad.

_He never smiled like that for me._

He was cleanly dressed in a lab coat in all of the pictures. He didn't look depressed or drunk, but like a responsible, intelligent man.

_We're both better off without each other._

**End of Chapter 15**

Things should be getting interesting… Now you know it _was _about her dad. So much drama


End file.
